New Rogue One Trailer, Self-Help by L.G. Keltner, Rio Olympics, CassaStar Audio Book Winners, and News

Movie News

New Rogue One Trailer!

JoBlo posted this picture of Aquaman wielding a guitar on set for Justice League. Aquaman just got even cooler in my eyes!

Last week, Blastr confirmed – there will be a fourth Chronicles of Narnia film. Producers are in place and someone is working on the script of The Silver Chair. The first three films made $1.6 billion, so it’s about time they worked on finishing the series.

Self-Help by L.G. Keltner

Thanks for letting me stop by your blog, Alex! It’s great to be here!

Writing the Self-Help 101 series has been an enjoyable experience. The first novella Self-Help 101 or: How I Learned to Take Over the World Through Tolerating My Family takes place during Christmas. This latest novella Self-Help 101 or: How to Survive a Bombardment With Minimal Injury focuses on the 4th of July. The third novella is coming out late next month. The last one is in the planning stages, and I hope to have it out before the end of the year.

After writing these books, I thought it would be fun to share with you some books you can rest assured I will never sit down to write.

Self-Help 101 or: How to Do Your Taxes at the Last Minute (I’d be so out of my depth and bored trying to write such a thing I fear it would kill my love for writing.)

Self-Help 101 or: How to Say the Right Thing in Any Social Situation (I am such a socially awkward person that any advice I attempted to offer would be disastrous.)

Self-Help 101 or: How to Quit Drinking Caffeine With Minimal Human Suffering (I could not write such a book, nor could the main character Dani from this series. We’re both too dependent.)

Self-Help 101 or: How to Remain Calm When Someone Tells You Science Fiction is Stupid (I’ve had people tell me this before, and no, I wasn’t able to remain calm.)

What self-help book could you never write?

Find L.G. at her blog
Find Self-Help 101 or: How to Survive a Bombardment With Minimal Injury at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, CreateSpace and Goodreads

Rio Olympics

We’ve been enjoying the Olympics this past week. Watching athletes who are the best of the best stretch to do even better is inspiring. I do the row machine at the gym, so watching the women race and the pace they set was just amazing. Track and field is in full swing now, with another week of awesome events. Some of the highlights for me this past week:

Michael Phelps has now won twenty-eight medals, twenty-three of them Gold. That is just mind-blowing. We'll never see another athlete like that in our time.

Swimmer Katie Ledecky – they say she is the greatest swimmer right now. The woman beat her own world record for the Gold in the women’s 800m freestyle, coming in ahead of the Silver medalist by twelve seconds. Twelve! Just think how great she’ll be in four years.

Our women’s gymnastic team obliterating the competition for the Gold. (They said their team score was the equivalent of a dozen touchdowns ahead.) Then Simone and Aly securing Gold and Silver in the individual all-around was icing on the cake. I still swear those girls have springs in their feet.

Women’s beach volleyball. Need I say more? (But I will, because it’s impressive that Kerri Walsh Jennings just might win her fourth Gold medal.)

Swimmer Simone Manuel winning a Gold and breaking the World Record, a historic moment. There are just so few African-American swimmers.

Our men’s team is struggling a bit, but our women’s basketball team is killing it and should sweep for the Gold. They also scored over a hundred points in their first three games, the first time any basketball team has done that at the Olympics.

Ninja News 

Pat Hatt had no book release last week. The writing community was shocked and Amazon’s stocks dropped. The Cat could not be reached for comment.
However – Pat has been doing a series poking fun and featuring his blogger buddies. And he got me last week, right down to my own blog post format. Visit Pat Hatt and prepare to be amused!

New Release-
Cruising for Murder by Elizabeth S. Craig
Find it on Amazon, iTunes, and Kobo

And the winners of a CassaStar audio book are…

Jess Haight @DMS Files

and

Bish Denham

Congratulations!

Excited for Rogue One? What about another Narnia movie? What self-help book couldn’t you write? And what highlights of the Olympic games have you enjoyed?

CassaStar on Audio and Giveaway, Suicide Squad Review, Best Writing Support Network, and Ninja News

CassaStar Available as an Audio Book!

I got the news from my publisher last Wednesday afternoon – CassaStar is now available as an audio book!

It is really wild to hear someone read my book. The narrator did a great job with both story and getting the names right. (If you’ve ever wondered how Ernx is pronounced, he nails it.) And of course, nothing highlights mistakes or growth as a writer more than hearing the story. It’s all good though.

To purchase or hear a sample:
iTunes, Amazon, and Audible

To celebrate, I have two copies of CassaStar on audio to give away!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where to Find the Best Support Network for Your Writing by Stephanie Faris

I remember the first time I sat in a room with other writers. I could finally talk to real people who did exactly what I enjoyed doing. Those were the pre-Internet days, so it was in-person meetings or nothing.

Soon after, Windows 95 came out and everyone had a computer. I discovered the Internet not long after joining Romance Writers of America. There was no Facebook or Twitter but RWA had listservs. All day, you had these interesting posts coming into your email. I learned so much in those early years but most importantly, I felt like I was a part of a community.

There are so many options for writers now, it can be difficult to figure out exactly where you fit. In the blogosphere, there are thousands of aspiring writers but how do you find them? One of the best things an aspiring novelist can do is join the Insecure Writers Support Group, which requires you to post the first Wednesday of every month. Browse the sign-up list and read other blogs on that day and chances are, at least a few aspiring writers will check out your blog, as well.

If you write in a specific genre, you may find forums and Facebook groups specific to that industry. For children’s writers, there’s a closed group called Children’s Authors and Illustrators on Facebook. Romance writers will find Romance Writers, Readers, Bloggers, & Reviewers, which is also on Facebook. If you don’t see a group specific to your interests, ask around on Twitter and someone will likely have a suggestion.

But for those starting out, I can’t speak highly enough about the in-person experience. Check Meetup.com for a writer’s group near you. Also join professional organizations that represent your genre (RWA, SCBWI, Mystery Writers of America) and check for local chapters that meet.

It may take a while to find your group but once you do, you’ll be well on your way to being a happy writer. You’ll be amazed how much better it feels to write when you can vent your frustrations to someone who understands.

Stephanie Faris is celebrating the release of Piper Morgan Joins the Circus and Piper Morgan in Charge!

Suicide Squad Review

Not a perfect film, but a lot of fun.
It begins after the death of Superman and group of criminals are pulled together as a desperate line of defense. Will Smith heads up the gang as Deadshot, providing a strong performance and a human connection. So does Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, adding a bold and touching quality to the crazy. Jared Leto takes the Joker role and makes it his own. And the Enchantress is one creepy character.
Lots of action and a much lighter tone than Batman v Superman makes for a fun ride. While the Suicide Squad is comprised of anti-hero villains, this isn’t Deadpool – like the comic, it’s very much PG-13. Where the film does suffer is its scattershot editing. I have a feeling the director’s cut of this one will also be better.
Internet conspiracy theorists started a rumor that Disney is paying reviewers to write negative reviews for DC properties. If you go to Rotten Tomatoes, the average difference between user ratings and critics is 10-20%. For Suicide Squad, it’s almost 50% - users 74% and critics 26%. (Batman v Superman is just as lopsided.) Over at the IMDB, it’s the same lopsided story. So, you have to wonder if the rumor is true… (And despite the critical hate, the film shattered the August opening record with $130+ billion dollars.)
A little uneven but quirky and quite fun. Unlike ID: Resurgence, I do want to see this one again! Recommended.

Ninja News

Today’s Themes That Rocked the Challenge feature at the A to Z Blog is Cherdo on the Flipside and her awesome theme of Favorite Characters, Favorite Lines.

New release:
What is Life?
An anthology by GB Miller



Thanks to everyone who participated in the IWSG last week and my awesome co-hosts. I can’t get to everyone, but I do try to visit those who visit me and the new members.
September 7 is the next post date and we’ll be announcing the IWSG Anthology Contest details!

Do you have a support network for your writing? Have you seen Suicide Squad? Ready for the IWSG Anthology Contest announcement? Are your books in audio? And who wants to hear how Ernx is pronounced in CassaStar…?