Showing posts with label Brandon Meyers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brandon Meyers. Show all posts

Monday, June 6, 2016

Book to Movie Dream, The Night Manager Review, Question of the Month, New Releases, and What Movies Have Held Up Over Time?

Thanks to everyone who joined us last Wednesday for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

I am in need of co-hosts!

If you can co-host July 6, August 3, or September 7, leave a comment or send me an email. Thanks!


I also have the honor of a guest post at Anne R. Allen’s Blog on Sunday, June 12!


My New Dream by Lori L. MacLaughlin

Thanks very much, Alex, for having me over!!

When I published my first book, I realized a dream. But now that I've reached that star, I've had to come up with a new dream. Something that seems as far out of reach as my first dream did back then. What better thing to choose than to see my book made into a movie?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had this dream. What author doesn't fantasize about seeing their story come to life on the big screen?

Hmmm... what actors would I choose for the MCs? The hero? Based on looks alone, I'd pick Joe Manganiello. I hope he can act.

The heroine? That's a bit more difficult. She's a swordfighter who is tough on the outside to hide her inner vulnerability. The actress would need the platinum blonde looks of Tanya Roberts in the movie Sheena (though with... ahem... more appropriate clothing), the devil-may-care attitude of Sandahl Bergman from Conan the Barbarian (again, with more reasonable clothing, though I have to admit, Conan didn't have much on either), and the sword handling skills of Xena, Warrior Princess or Red Sonja. (Can't any of these warrior women get decent battle attire? I mean, seriously. Who would go into battle half dressed? At least Xena had some armor.)

It would also be nice if she had some acting ability, unlike some of the above actresses, and I do mean some and not all. Some were good, if a bit over the top at times, but others were, shall we say, not Academy Award winners.

The other problem is that my heroine is left-handed, and I don't think that can be faked.

Anyone know of any good left-handed actresses that could handle the role? What actors/actresses would you choose for your characters?


Tara Triannon is no stranger to trouble. She's yet to find an enemy her skill with a sword couldn't dispatch. But how can she fight one that attacks through her dreams?

Find it at:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Kobo  iBooks



Review – The Night Manager

This mini-series is based on the John le Carre novel of the same name. The night manager of an Egyptian hotel is recruited by British intelligence to infiltrate an international arms dealer’s network.
This was an excellent spy mini-series, largely in part to the exotic locations and the top notch acting.
Everyone involved brings their A game. Hugh Laurie is charming with an underlying tone of menace. Tom Hiddleston is completely believable as the tormented night manager turned spy. Also starring Tom Hollander, Olivia Colman, and Elizabeth Debicki.
This six episode series ran on AMC and you can now find it on iTunes and Amazon. Highly recommended!

Question of the Month

Hosted by Michael at A Life Examined

The question is – “Of all the places in the world that you haven’t yet been to, where would you like to go next?”

I’ve been to some cool places – Japan, England, France, Scotland, Canada, etc.

But one place I haven’t been that I’d still like to see is New Zealand. It’s a beautiful, diverse country, and it would be cool to see the locations where the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed.

And bonus – unlike Australia, I won’t have to contend with the world’s deadliest snakes and spiders! (Sorry, Michael.)

New Releases!

Tuck Watley: Freedom Fighter Fighter by Bryan Pedas and Brandon Meyers

And, as an added incentive to their blog friends, if you buy the $2.99 eBook and promise to leave a review, they will send you a free autographed paperback copy. (USA only.)

Buy it on Amazon

Welcome to Sortilege Falls by Libby Heily

Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

And the Lark Arose From the Sullen Earth by Ursula Hartlein (CarrieAnne Brownian)

Find it on Amazon





Movies That Stand the Test of Time

Last week we pulled an older movie off the shelf to watch. And I was really surprised by how well it had held up in terms of the story, how the movie looked, and the special effects. Some films don’t hold up well after twenty-thirty years. (Some don’t make it as far as ten years.)

That got me to thinking about what films have stood the test of time:

The Thing (1982) This is the film we watched and the special effects are still top-notch and just as good as the recent ‘remake.’ No corny dialogue and the film score is as haunting as ever.

Jaws (1975) Despite all the issues they had with Bruce the shark, the effects still look good and the dialogue is snappy. The only thing that dates it is the clothing.

Jurassic Park (1993) Yes, I still believe the dinosaurs are real. They look just as good as the latest film. Plus the film is as solid as ever.

Aliens (1986) Considering the amount of special effects (mostly physical ones) and sets, this one is really impressive. The aliens still move real and great performances keep it fresh.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) This one impresses me the most. It came out the same year as Star Wars, but if Lucas hadn’t redone some of the special effects, Close Encounters would now look light years ahead of Star Wars. The spaceship at the end is still jaw-dropping. A little dated with the clothing but great performances keep this movie relevant.



What movies over twenty years do you think have held up well?


Who would you pick to play in the movie version of your book? Have you seen The Night Manager? What new place would you travel to? And what movie still looks great today after all these years…?

And if you can co-host the IWSG, please let me know!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anniversary Special Announcement! Plus September Movie Preview, New Books, 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.

My awesome co-hosts today are Laura at My Baffling Brain, Mark Koopmans, Shah Wharton, and Sheena-Kay Graham!


Today marks three years since the very first IWSG post. Next month marks one year since the IWSG site and Facebook group opened. And we’d like you to help us celebrate!

The IWSG Team is putting together an eBook that will benefit all writers - The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond. And we invite all IWSG members, Facebook members, and followers to contribute.

Here are the details:

The three topics will be writing, publishing, and marketing.

Each contribution needs to be between 200 and 1000 words. Focus on one of those three aspects and give us your best tip or procedure. The essay can include bullet points, top ten lists, and recommendations. (Websites, software, books, etc.)

You can either post it for your October 1 IWSG post or email it directly. TheIWSGATgmail.com or alexjcavanaughATearthlink.net (Since the length can go over the standard IWSG post length.) Include a one sentence byline and a link to your site. Also state that you give us permission to use it in the book and which topic it falls under. (We will only edit for misspellings and grammar mistakes.)

All submissions need to be sent or posted by October 2, 2014. We will compile them into an eBook and aim for an early December release. The book will be free and available for all eReaders.

Thank you for making the IWSG such a huge success!!

And as far as my own writing, I have my manuscript back from critique partner number two now. I chuckled through the first one from Lynda and I already know Rusty is hilarious with his snarky comments. That leaves one more critique coming at the end of the week from the awesome Heather Gardner. And since I know she excels at snarky humor, I'm looking forward to laughing my way through all of the critiques.


Ninja News

I invite you to visit the A to Z Challenge Blog today – past and present Co-Hosts are sharing their thoughts about Tina Downey in a very special tribute.
Don’t forget next Monday is Sunflowers for Tina – post a picture of your sunflower in memory of her.

Thanks to everyone who voted! CassaStorm was named 2014 Best Science Fiction by the eFestival of Words!


Don’t forget Monday, September 22 is the Underrated Treasures Blogfest.




New Books!

Lovely Death by Brandon Meyers

The Warrior and the Biologist by Susan Kelley
Buy it now at New Concept Publishing.

Perfectly Ernest by EJ Wesley.
I had the honor of reading this book last month and while it’s not my usual genre, I thought it was outstanding. You can check out my review on Goodreads.

Hibbs, the Cub with no Clue by Roland Yeomans

Find it on Amazon




September Movie Preview!

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for September! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

19 –

The Maze Runner
Thomas is deposited in a community of boys after his memory is erased, soon learning they're all trapped in a maze that will require him to join forces with fellow "runners" for a shot at escape.
Director: Wes Ball
Stars: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter
Kids fight to survive in a dystopian future… stop me if you’ve heard this before…

26 –

The Equalizer
A former black ops commando who faked his death for a quiet life in Boston comes out of his retirement to rescue a young girl and finds himself face to face with Russian gangsters.
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloƫ Grace Moretz, David Harbour
Denzel doing what Denzel does best–playing Denzel.

The Boxtrolls
A young orphaned boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator. Based on the children's novel 'Here Be Monsters' by Alan Snow.
Directors: Graham Annable | Anthony Stacchi
Stars: Ben Kingsley, Jared Harris, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade
At first I thought it was about Lindsay Lohan’s Franzia wine addiction…

Can you believe it’s been three years for the IWSG? Will you be contributing to the anthology? Posting for Tina next Monday? Picking up some new books? What movies will you see this month? (From the selection, I’d say just go see Guardians of the Galaxy again…)

Be sure to visit the A to Z Challenge Blog for our special tribute to Tina Downey.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Writing Tips from A Beer For The Shower, CassaFire Sale Results, and Ninja News!

You are in for a treat today! We have some expert writing advice from Brandon Meyers and Bryan Pedas, the genius minds behind A Beer For The Shower. They also have a new book out, Empirical Evidence: A Novelette. It’s there first venture into science fiction and it’s free today through Wednesday, February 12 on Amazon.

Take it away, Brandon and Bryan!

Hey all, we're Brandon and Bryan from A Beer for the Shower, and as co-authors of multiple novels that have been praised by people that are not our parents, we wanted to share some of our favorite writing tips for you today.

Forget what you heard about writing with your heart and crafting what you love. That's clearly nonsense. Here's what you really need to do to reach success as a writer.

1. Don't be afraid to give up

Did you know that success means hard work? Well, trying is hard. Really hard. So if your novel doesn't sell on the first try, you should probably give up and take on something more meaningful like crochet, or start a cat collection. Bryan's currently up to 8!


Doesn't this little glimpse of paradise look better than "trying"?

2. Criticism is for the weak

If someone tells you something like, "Your novel is good but it needs work in a few spots" what they're really saying is "I hate you and I spit in your face." Also, they're probably just jealous of your infallible talent. Rather than humbly accept their criticism and better your writing skills, you should probably hire street thugs to beat them into a coma. It's only fair for them having the downright audacity to offer you their honest criticism.

3. Write to fads

Writing a truly unique story that comes from the heart is fun and all, but it's no guarantee that your book will sell. But you know what will sell? Fads. Just find whatever's popular now, write a complete ripoff with one or two minor changes, and reap in the sweet, sweet benefits of selling out!





Cheers and stay classy, guys,
Bryan and Brandon

"I hate it when authors come to schools and tell the kids write from your heart. I don't think I've ever written a single word from my heart. I write to entertain the audience." - R.L. Stein, literary genius


Ninja News

Feeling a little anti-Valentine’s? Then you need to enter Robyn’s Anti-Valentine’s Day Giveaway! She’s giving away some high quality chocolate. Visit Life By Chocolate for details.

It was another awesome posting for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Thanks to my co-hosts, Sheena-kay Graham, Julie Musil, Jamie Ayres, and Mike Swift.

Don’t forget the Epic 2000 Followers Giveaway. Books for you, books for your library, t-shirts, and iTunes gift cards. Become a Google Friends Connect follower to enter.
Full details HERE. Just a few more to go!



CassaFire’s 99 Cents Promotion Results


Today, February 10, is the last day to grab my second book, CassaFire, for 99 cents on Amazon.

The sale started on February 4 and my publisher ran several ads.


The results?


Nancy Thompson caught it late Friday night while it was still rising the charts at #194! (That’s #194 out of ALL the books on Amazon!)

I caught it the following morning at #216:

I was also on several top 100 authors lists:

(Ahead of some dude name Asimov but behind some hack named Heinlein – the nerve!)

I didn’t catch it at its peak, but it was number 1, 2, or 3 in many categories, including Space Opera, and in the top ten for Science Fiction. CassaFire’s rise also bumped up sales of the other two, CassaStar and CassaStorm, placing them on several top 100 lists.

I was blown away!!!

Huge thanks to the hundreds who posted about it, sent out Tweets, mentioned it on Google+, and commented on Facebook. (I’m not even on Facebook – that is too wild!)

Mick from EBook Bargains UK caught the ad on BookBub, and since he’d seen my comments on Anne R. Allen’s blog many times, he grabbed it and added it to nine of their country listings as well. Thanks, Mick!

Once again, my heartfelt thanks. I am blessed to be a part of such an awesome community of writers and bloggers.

Final day Tweets:

“Top Gun Meets Battlestar Galactica” Alex J. Cavanaugh’s CassaFire on sale .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr #scifi #99cents

Reminiscent of the action-driven stories of Robert A. Heinlein's early fiction - Library Journal. CassaFire only .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

Think Brandon and Bryan’s advice rocks? Ready to take up a cat collection? (Be sure to download their new book!) Feeling anti-Valentine’s? Enjoy last week’s IWSG? And anyone else experience great success with a book at a discounted price?

Working on my manuscript this week, so no Wednesday post. But the Ninja will be lurking…