What is Blogging Success, Ninja News, Dredd Movie Review, Music Trivia Answers, and the Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest!

Today I have a guest post with the wonderful Karen Lange at Write Now. I answer the question – what is blogging success? Please visit Karen today for my take on success in the blogging world.

Ninja News

Christine Rains is holding a birthday bash and giveaway on October 5 – you don’t want to miss it.

Laura Barnes got an agent – congratulations, Laura! AND she got a request from a publisher that she was able to forward to her new agent. How cool is that/?

The Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, edited by Jessica Bell and Dawn Ius, is now available on Goodreads!

Jeremy at Retro-Zombie is nearing 1500 posts and 500 followers and he’s hosting a giveaway to celebrate! Visit Jeremy’s site for details.

EJ Wesley is celebrating the release of his book, Blood Fugue, with the Bury the Hatchet Blogfest. Lots of amazing prizes! Runs until October 19. Congratulations on the new book, EJ.

Laura Eno’s new book, Wish, comes out next month. If you would like to help with her book launch, see her site for details. Congratulations, Laura!

Movie Review

Dredd

Forget that awful Stallone version! This film matches the feel of the comic book – it’s gritty, dark, violent, and bloody.
Dredd takes on a rookie with psychic abilities and their first assignment finds them trapped in a massive housing unit and at the mercy of gang leader Ma-Ma. (And they managed to make the lovely Lena Headey look skanky and vile.)
The visuals are very unique – colorful, in depth, and with lots of slow motion action.
The director pulls no punches with the violence. You will witness people die in a truly unique manner.
This movie isn’t for everyone. But if you enjoy the comic Dredd or science fiction shoot-em-ups and great special effects, then Dredd is your film.

Music Trivia Answers

Remakes – name the song:
1 – In 1995 Dream Theater remade this song by Elton John – Love Lies Bleeding
2 – In 1998 Orgy remade this song by New Order – Blue Monday
3 – 2002 by Shadows Fall, 2012 by Arjen Lucassen, and 2007 by Queesnryche saw the remake of this Pink Floyd song – Welcome to the Machine
4 – In 1999 Coal Chamber remade this song by Peter Gabriel – Shock the Monkey
5 – In 1996 White Zombie remade this song by KC and the Sunshine Band – I’m Your Boogieman

Did I Notice Your Book?

The brain child of one awesome Ciara Knight! (With the Ninja along for the ride as co-host.) Based on her weekly feature that began last year. (And CassaStar was the first book!)

The Ninjas and Knights are joining forces!

Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest, October 17, 2012
Post about a book you’ve noticed.

You can choose a book that you’ve read, something you saw on a blog or social media site, Goodreads, or a sales website. Anything that caught your eye because of a great cover, blurb or reviews, but DON’T tell the author that their book has been noticed. Instead, shout out on social media sites, and encourage others to do the same, until the author finds his/her book.

Leave a blog comment at Ninja Captain Alex or Ciara Knight when the author finds their book.

Only two rules:
1) You can’t post about your own book.
2) The book shouldn’t be on the New York Times or USA Today bestseller list. This is your chance to shout out about a book that might not have been noticed by others.

Let’s blow up the blogsphere with great new reads!

Sign up below!



Excited about the contests and news? Anyone else see Dredd? Get any of the trivia right? (Kathleen got all of them!) And are you signing up for the awesome new blogfest?

Don’t forget to visit Karen for my take on blogging success!

The Lost Girl, Ninja News and Answers, and the September Movie Preview!

The Lost Girl

The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna was released this week – congratulations, Sangu!

Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination—an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her “other”, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.

But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this.

Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known—the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love—to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.

What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedly dealt a fatal blow that will change her existence forever, she is forced to choose: Stay and live out her years as a copy or leave and risk it all for the freedom to be an original. To be Eva.

Purchase The Lost Girl now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon UK

Ninja News!

Next Wednesday is post day for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Please remember to post the badge and a link to the IWSG list so others can find the group and join us!

Michael Abayomi’s second book in the Guardians & The Lost Paradise series, The Fall, is available now. Congratulations, Michael!!



And so many questions for the Ninja! It will take me months to answer all of them. Selected a few for today…

From Spacerguy - Alex, is there a price to pay for being Captain of the Ninja Army?
Just the willingness to invest my time and myself.

From Christine Rains - What book are you reading right now?
Just started Roland Yeomans’ The Legend of Victor Standish.

From just about everyone – a photo of me! There is one on my About Me page.
Want something better? Well, Mark Koopmans has something in mind for November…

September Movie Preview!

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


7 –

[REC]³ Génesis
A couple's wedding day turns into a horrific events as some of the guests start showing signs of a strange illness.
Director: Paco Plaza
Stars: Leticia Dolera, Diego Martín, Javier Botet, Àlex Monner

Won’t catch it in the theater, but the first two were good.

14 –

Resident Evil: Retribution
Alice fights alongside a resistance movement in the continuing battle against the Umbrella Corporation and the undead.
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Stars: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez, Kevin Durand

Fifth? Sixth? I’ve lost count. As long as they make money (and Milla stays in shape) we’ll see many more. Won’t see this in the theater either, but I will watch on NetFlix. As long as they don’t suck, I’ll keep watching!

21 –

Dredd 3D
In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.
Director: Pete Travis
Stars: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Rachel Wood

Urban is supposed to be awesome in this! Now to wipe that awful Stallone film from my mind…

28 –

Looper
In 2072, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits. Someone like Joe, who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by transporting back Joe's future self.
Director: Rian Johnson
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano

I’ve been looking forward to this film for months! Gordon-Levitt is great in everything now (and he’s in just about every movie as well) and Willis is always fun.

Hotel Transylvania
Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count's teen-aged daughter.
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Stars: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez

Thought I’d throw in something for the kids. From the guy who brought us Over the Hedge.

Have you picked up The Lost Girl Yet? Or The Fall? Ready for the IWSG next week? My answers satisfy your curiosity… for now? And what September movies are on your radar?