IWSG Anthology Winners, #IWSGPit, Spider-Man: No Way Home Review, and January 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 January 5 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, Olga Godim, Sandra Cox, Sarah Foster, and Chemist Ken!

January 5 question - What's the one thing about your writing career you regret the most? Were you able to overcome it?

Probably that I didn’t begin sooner or that I am such a slow writer. I did begin although I have never sped up my writing.

The Seventh Annual IWSG Anthology Contest Winners!

The genre was sweet romance and the theme first love.

Thanks to all who entered – it was a record amount of entries this year.

Now we present the authors of First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts:

The Art of Making Doughnuts - Linda Budzinski
Paper Faces - Sylvia Ney
The Real Thing - Sammi Spizziri
My Heart Approves - Melissa Maygrove
Oliver’s Girl - Michael Di Gesu
Clyde and Coalesce - Kim Elliot
My First Love(s) - Templeton Moss
How to Save a Princess - Katie Klein
The Castle of Ohno - SE White
Marmalade Sunset - Denise Covey

A special thanks to our official judges:

Author Nancy Gideon
Nancy Gideon is the award-winning bestseller of over 70 romances ranging from historical, Regency, and series contemporary suspense to dark paranormal and horror, with a couple of produced screenplays and non-fiction writing books tossed into the mix. She’s also written under the pseudonyms Dana Ransom, Rosalyn West, and Lauren Giddings.

Agent Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson Associates
Caitlin Blasdell has been a literary agent with Liza Dawson Associates since 2002 with a focus on commercial fiction. Before becoming an agent, she was a senior editor at HarperCollins Publishers.

Author Susan Gourley
Susan Gourley is traditionally published in fantasy and science fiction romance using the name Susan Kelley. She is currently serving as the President of the Pennwriters writing group renowned for the annual conference.

Author Jennifer Lane
Jennifer Lane writes sports romance and romantic suspense with a psychological twist. She has published nine novels and two short stories, including Behind the Catcher’s Mask as part of the IWSG Masquerade Anthology.

Author Meka James
Meka James is a writer of adult contemporary and erotic romance. A born and raised Georgia Peach, she still resides in the southern state with her hubby of 16 years and counting. Mom to four kids of the two legged variety, she also has four fur-babies of the canine variety. When not writing or reading, Meka can be found playing The Sims 3, sometimes Sims 4, and making up fun stories to go with the pixelated people whose world she controls.

Author Loni Townsend
By day, she writes code. By predawn darkness, she writes fantasies. All other times, she writes in her head. People call her peculiar with a twisted sense of fashion, but don't let those understatements fool you. Her behavior is perfectly normal for a squirrel disguised as a human.

First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts will be published by Dancing Lemur Press' imprint, Freedom Fox Press, later this year.

This is our seventh anthology! Previous titles include Dark Matter: Artificial, Voyagers: The Third Ghost, Masquerade: Oddly Suited, Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime, Hero Lost, The Mysteries of Death and Life, and Parallels: Felix Was Here.

#IWSGPit is this month!
If you’ve never participated in a Twitter pitch party, this is your chance.
Dozens have signed book contracts as a result – you could be next.
Visit the #IWSGPit page for the rules and hashtags.
And then join us on January 26!

Goodbye My Brother

On Monday, January 3, I lost a dear friend – Jeremy Hawkins.

Jeremy and I had been good blogger buds for twelve years. His blog was Being Retro / Hollywood Nuts and he was a producer for Howling Wolf Records. He also interviewed many celebrities over the years and visited many cons.

He also designed the t-shirts for the IWSG and A to Z Challenge and many more, sold at his NeatOShop.

This is a huge loss and we will miss Jeremy tremendously. He was a very giving person and did everything he could to help his fellow creatives. May we never forget him.

To find out more about Jeremy, you can read about him About - HERE.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Review

Spider-Man ask Doctor Strange to make the world forget his identity, but when the spell goes wrong, villains from other universes begin to appear.
This is the third of the Tom Holland films and definitely the best.
Tough review to do as there are so many spoilers and surprises. (At several points, our audience clapped and cheered.)
The movie hits on every level as it deals with the multiverse, portrayed well in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It tugs at the heartstrings, zings with action, and delivers a great story.
Only complaint – ten-fifteen minutes could have been shaved from this two and a half hour film.
But this is the ultimate Spider-Man film and you just have to see it on the big screen. And as always, stay for the two bonus scenes.
Highly recommended!

January Movie Preview

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

21 –

Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre
Special agent Orson Fortune and his team of operatives recruit one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars to help them on an undercover mission when the sale of a deadly new weapons technology threatens to disrupt the world order.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Cary Elwes, Jason Statham, Josh Hartnett, Aubrey Plaza
Statham is really growing as an actor – apparently in this film, he punches a lot of people.

28 –

Morbius
Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead.
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Michael Keaton, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris
Morbius trades one incurable disease for another…seems silly, doesn’t it?

What do you regret and did you overcome it? Excited about the IWSG anthology? Ready for #IWSGPit? Did you see Spider-Man? Seeing any movies this month?

Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Plus November Movie Preview and Shattered.

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 for the November 3 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Victoria Marie Lees, Joylene Nowell Butler, Erika Beebe, and Lee Lowery!

November 3 question - What's harder to do, coming up with your book title or writing the blurb?

Title!! Blurb is difficult, title darn near impossible for me.


The IWSG is looking for an admin to run our Instagram. Tyrean is stepping down at the end of the year. If you are comfortable with Instagram and would like to join the team, send an email to the IWSG.

Movies don’t always get it right. That applies to movies that include paraplegic characters. There are often two extremes—those who are helpless and miserable, and those who are depicted as heroic for simply doing what everybody does—make it through a day.

Screenwriters ignore some of the most significant challenges for some of the disabled community. When I spoke with spinal cord doctors before writing this book, I discovered that often losing mobility wasn't the hardest part of life for paraplegics, but learning to take over some of their body’s automatic functions was. Many paraplegics must monitor their bladders and bowels, they have to be sure to shift positions frequently, they must exercise regularly—no excuses, and they have to stay on top of pain. A big change is that they have to allow a lot more time for just the basics, like getting up and getting dressed.

Some movies (Wheels, 2017 & Passion Fish, 1992) depict such a dark picture that I had a hard time watching to the end. From the reading and interviews I did, I learned that the trauma following such a life-altering event is devastating, but it doesn’t send everyone into suicidal despair or non-stop drinking. There are a lot of stories out there of people who have worked through the tough emotions and are happy and content with their lives. They’re doing what they used to before paraplegia. They’re falling in love, having children, skiing, playing basketball—the difference is in how they do it. It’s called adaptive living. 

One of the major things I learned while writing Shattered was to think differently about paraplegics (actually, about anyone living with a disability), to think of them as people first, and find ways in which we’re alike, not different. 

Available at Amazon . B&N . Kobo . Smashwords

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More About the Author and Her Books

Website . Goodreads . BookBub . Instagram . Twitter . Facebook . LinkedIn

I'm a native Californian who grew up in a lot of different places; then landed in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I write most of the time, hike and practice yoga a lot, and then travel whenever I can. 

In my young adult books, I take on modern issues that today's teens face in their daily lives. My Evernight Teen Publication, Double Negative was voted as one of the best top ten Young Adult books, 2019. My other books, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Sliding on the Edge, Sudden Secrets and Not Guilty are out to four and five-star reviews.  

November Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for November. As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

5 –

Eternals
The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations.
Director: Chloé Zhao
Stars: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek
These guys make Ant Man seem like an A-lister.

12 –

Apex
Five elite hunters pay to hunt down a man on a deserted island, only to find themselves becoming the prey.
Director: Edward Drake
Stars: Bruce Willis, Neal McDonough, Lochlyn Munro, Alexia Fast
Bruce Willis is hunted for sport. What won’t this guy do for a paycheck?

19 –

Ghostbusters: Afterlife
When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.
Director: Jason Reitman
Stars: Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Carrie Coon, Sigourney Weaver
If this doesn’t work, they’ll give the Ghostbusters a pet monkey and shoot them into outer space.

What’s more difficult for you – title or blurb? Interested in the Instagram IWSG Admin position? Picking up Lee’s new book? And what November movie strikes your fancy?

Ran out of room, so tune in next Monday for reviews of RiffTrax: Live – Amityville: The Evil Escapes and Dune, plus several music reviews and other updates. Then it’s off until December 1!

Quick Mid-June Update

Now that today is a National holiday, I am starting my vacation a day early. I’ll be offline for the next week, checking emails and Twitter only once a day.

The next Insecure Writer’s Support Group post is July 7. I’ll also have a guest that day, author Damien Larkin as well as the July movie preview and some movie reviews.

The IWSG Anthology Contest is open until September 1, so check out the details.

Happy Fourth of July to my American friends as we celebrate freedoms fought for and won two hundred and forty years ago. God bless America!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Enola Holmes Review, October Movie Preview, and New Releases

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 today are Jemima Pett, Beth Camp, Beverly Stowe McClure, and Gwen Gardner!


Need IWSG co-hosts for November! At least four, five is even better. (We have none at the moment.)
And two more for December and hosts for January. (Which is when we’ll announce the winners of the IWSG Anthology Contest.)
Leave a comment or email me if you can host any of those months.


October 7 question - When you think of the term working writer, what does that look like to you? What do you think it is supposed to look like? Do you see yourself as a working writer or aspiring or hobbyist, and if latter two, what does that look like?

Good question! I picture a working writer as someone who makes a good portion of their income from their writing. (It could mean a writer who is still working a job, but that doesn’t sound as fun.) As for me, unless I’m writing after retiring (which isn’t too far away), being an author will remain a side project.

Now, guitarist in a prog band – I can picture that!

Enola Holmes Review

From the IMDB:
When Enola Holmes-Sherlock's teen sister-discovers her mother missing, she sets off to find her, becoming a super-sleuth in her own right as she outwits her famous brother and unravels a dangerous conspiracy around a mysterious young Lord.
Starring Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter, and Louis Partridge
Based on a young adult book series.
This debuted on NetFlix last month and certainly rates as one of their best productions. If you enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Jr., you will enjoy this film. Definitely a lighter version, though – more family friendly. It’s a blend of Young Sherlock Holmes and the Guy Richie films.
It’s quirky, fun, and Enola breaks the fourth barrier several times. Brown is perfect in the role as Enola and very resourceful. Cavil’s reserved Sherlock is more true to the books, so don’t expect Robert Downey Jr. craziness.
The production values are excellent and you really feel like you are in Victorian England. This is top notch cinema from NetFlix.
Highly recommended.

New Releases!

Psycho Hose Beast From Outer Space by CD Gallant-King

Gale Harbour hasn’t seen any excitement since the military abandoned the base there thirty years ago, unless you count the Tuesday night 2-for-1 video rentals at Jerry's Video Shack. So when a dead body turns up floating in the town water supply, all evidence seems to point to a boring accident.

Find it on Amazon, Amazon CA, and Amazon UK

Frozen Crimes by Chrys Fey

Beth and Donovan are expecting their first child. Life couldn't get any better...until a stalker makes his presence known. This person sends disturbing messages and unsettling items, but it isn't long before his menacing goes too far.

Find it at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and Google Play

October Movie Releases

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for October. (And our theaters are open now – I can finally go see a movie again!) As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

9 –

Honest Thief
Wanting to lead an honest life, a notorious bank robber turns himself in, only to be double-crossed by two ruthless FBI agents.
Director: Mark Williams
Stars: Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney, Jeffrey Donovan
Neeson says ‘Give me back my son!’ while being attacked by wolves on a train…

16 –

Alone
When an outbreak hits, Aidan barricades himself inside his apartment and starts rationing food. His complex is overrun by infected Screamers, and with the world falling apart into chaos, he is left completely alone fighting for his life.
Director: Johnny Martin
Stars: Donald Sutherland, Tyler Posey, Robert Ri'chard, John Posey
Isn’t this plot the year we’ve just lived through?

23 –

Synchronic
Two New Orleans paramedics' lives are ripped apart after they encounter a series of horrific deaths linked to a designer drug with bizarre, otherworldly effects.
Directors: Justin Benson | Aaron Moorhead
Stars: Jamie Dornan, Anthony Mackie, Katie Aselton, Ally Ioannides
I like a movie that scoops out my brain with a melon ball and plays with it.

What does a working writer look like to you? Seen Enola Holmes yet? Ready to hit the theater again? And who can co-host in the coming months?
 I’ll be back October 19 with a guest, movie reviews, and a review of Ayeron’s latest double concept album, Transitus. (Hint- it’s awesome!)

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, January Movie Preview, Movie Reviews, and New Releases

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 T. Powell Coltrin, Victoria Marie Lees, Stephen Tremp, and J.H. Moncrieff!

January 8 question - What started you on your writing journey? Was it a particular book, movie, story, or series? Was it a teacher/coach/spouse/friend/parent? Did you just "know" suddenly you wanted to write?

What started my writing journey was this illustration by Frank Frazetta for Battlestar Galactica:

It inspired me to write a scene that would later become part of a novel. That story sat in a drawer for years. When I pulled it out, that one scene and the two characters were all that survived the rewrite. And it became my first published novel, Cassastar.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group made the list - The Write Life’s Best Websites for Writers 2020! 

That's four years in a row now.

Thanks to all of you for making it happen.

#IWSGPit is next Wednesday!



If you have a manuscript to pitch, don’t miss it.





Presenting the cover for the next Insecure Writer’s Support Group anthology:

Voyagers: The Third Ghost

Release date – May 5, 2020
Print 9781939844729 $13.95
EBook 9781939844736 $4.99
Juvenile Fiction - Historical / Action & Adventure / Fantasy & Magic
Dancing Lemur Press/Freedom Fox Press

Journey into the past…

Will the third ghost be found before fires take more lives? Can everyone be warned before Pompeii is buried again? What happens if a blizzard traps a family in East Germany? Will the Firebird help Soviet sisters outwit evil during WWII? And sneaking off to see the first aeroplane – what could go wrong?

Ten authors explore the past, sending their young protagonists on harrowing adventures. Featuring the talents of Yvonne Ventresca, Katharina Gerlach, Roland Clarke, Sherry Ellis, Rebecca M. Douglass, Bish Denham, Charles Kowalski, Louise MacBeath Barbour, Beth Anderson Schuck, and L.T. Ward.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents, authors, and editors, these ten tales will take readers on a voyage of wonder into history. Get ready for an exciting ride!

Pre-order on Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and Kobo

Movie Reviews

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

I’m sure the fanboys will whine, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film!
A little uneven in the beginning. But wow, the second half really redeems it with a ton of great action scenes and scenes that will hit you in the heart.
A lot a familiar faces show up, which is a lot of fun.
It ties it up nicely with several great twists.
And very cool in 3D.
(If you did hate it, go back and watch episodes 1-3. Now those sucked. Lucas was a horrible director and the dialogue worse than a soap opera.)
Recommended!

Jumanji: The Next Level

Not as fresh as the original, which was to be expected, but still a lot of fun. Also just a little slow in the beginning as it finds its footing.
Even with the newness off, the movie still gives viewers some new twists, which includes new characters – and new game characters.
Some of the scenes are incredible and others hilarious.
And a touching ending about friendship and growing older.
Recommended!

The Mandalorian

Let’s just get this out of the way – baby Yoda is damned cute. No denying it.
I’ve never been a fan of any of the animated Star Wars series. But I ended up absolutely loving this show.
It’s just like the Star Wars movies, but with eight episodes, there was more time to develop the characters.
The story is a space western. Mando is a hired gun who ends up doing the right thing and puts together a team to save the child – baby Yoda.

Each episode got stronger and stronger. Lots of replayability – I’ll definitely watch it again. If it were a movie, I’d place it at number two or three on my list. (Rogue One definitely number one.)
Highly recommended!


The Lion King

Let’s get this out of the way – the animation is stunning. One step away from totally realistic. Rivals The Jungle Book.
Now, let’s get to the truth.
How did this film make over a billion dollars?
The animals are realistic, which means – the voice comes through, but not the expression. The effect is – cold. Expressionless. Total lack of connection. And totally empty.
The film is also ninety-nine percent, shot-for-shot like the original. Same songs as well. Bottom line – there was zero reason for a remake other than a cash grab.
You want to see a Lion King that will move you and stay with you? Watch the original 1994 version. Skip this hollow, cold adventure.
Not recommended.

New Releases

And Then You Fall by Heather M. Gardner
Third in the Maguire's Corner series
Now the series is complete!
Find And Then You Fall on Amazon

Tales from a Hack by Ryan Bevan (Husband of our very own IWSG member, Deniz Bevan
Reminiscent of horror classics from film and pulp, this collection of original stories of the macabre will transport the reader to a delightful land of evil things.
Find it on Smashwords

January Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for January! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

10 –

1917
Two young British soldiers during the First World War are given an impossible mission: deliver a message deep in enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, and one of the soldier's brothers, from walking straight into a deadly trap.
Director: Sam Mendes
Stars: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays, Colin Firth
Yes, I featured this movie last month as a December release. That was its limited release (for Oscar consideration) – this is its wide release. Got it? Good, glad we got that clarified.

17 –

Doolittle
A physician discovers that he can talk to animals.
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Tom Holland, Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes
Tony Stark invents a gadget to talk to animals and discovers they all like Captain America better.

24 – 

The Gentlemen
A British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong
Going out on a limb, Richie makes a London crime drama/dark comedy - we'll see if it works out...



What started your writing journey? Participating in #IWSGPit? Dig the Voyagers cover? Seen any of the movies/shows? And what movie strikes your fancy for January?

Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Plus Massive Book 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 Mark Koopmans, Joylene Nowell Butler, Elsie, and Lisa Buie-Collard! Please stop by their sites and thank them for helping today.

Now that the insanity of the Challenge is over – I am working on my manuscript again! I’m in the final stretch and it was no effort to jump back in and continue with the story. Endings have always come first for me, so what I am about to write has played over in my head a hundred times. So I am eager to finish the first draft. Then editing, which will involve adding many new elements and twists. Good thing I really like the editing phase.

But I did write more than blog posts during April!

I was asked to contribute to audiomachine’s next project, an eighteen track movie soundtrack called Phenomena. There will be a free eBook available for download. With every purchase, audiomachine will make a donation to the LA Youth orchestra. My story will accompany a piece called Drakon's Empire.

What’s my story about? Well, it focuses on a young man by the name of Bassan…

Be sure to visit other IWSG members!

Book Releases and More!!

Break Time
A Steampunk Anthology
by Pat Bertram, J.Conrad Guest, J.J. Dare, Dale Cozort, Suzanne Francis, and Joylene Nowell Butler

Welcome to Break Time, a collaborative steampunk anthology written by seven authors from four countries -- USA, New Zealand, Canada, Australia -- who have never met.

Available on Amazon - eBook and Print

Living the Afterlife: A Death and Chronos flash fiction collection
By River Fairchild

Thirty stories filled with laughter and mishaps as a Harley-riding Death and anachronistic Chronos create havoc in Purgatory and on Earth. A host of Immortals join in the misadventures.

Buy it on Amazon

How to Seduce a Band Geek (How To #2)
by Cassie Mae
Buy it at Amazon


Hey, I resemble that...

Rescue Squad, Book 9 of A Shot in the Light
By Hart Johnson
Buy it at Amazon

Chasing Luck
by Brinda Berry
A Serendipity novel - New Adult Romantic Suspense
Buy it at Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble

Second Chances 101, the fifth Ripple Effect Romance Novella
By Donna K. Weaver
Buy it at Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Stones of Power: The Invasion
By Eric Buffington
Buy it at Center One Publishing and Smashwords








Altered Perceptions is an anthology of great authors, donating their work to help author Robison Wells, who's crippled by debt, caused by his mental illnesses. David Powers King is pledging one dollar for every comment on his IWSG post today. So visit David and donate his money!

Whoa!
Anyone else diving back into their writing this month? Picking up Phenomena? (You should see the list of authors contributing stories to the eBook!) Picking up any of the new releases? And what’s your writing insecurity today…?

And heads up – I will be out and about enjoying life this weekend, so you won’t see me around much. After last month, I hope I remember how…

And please, special prayers for Melissa Bradley. She was admitted to the hospital on Monday and they discovered a huge mass around her lymph nodes. The biopsy is today, so please keep her in your thoughts.

Mistress Snark, Ninja News, Best Movies of 2012, and Thoughts on 2012-2013

Tuesday I was a guest of Laura Eno and Mistress Snark. If you missed the exchange (and my escape) visit Laura’s SITE. (Just don’t drink the punch…)

Ninja News

This will be my last post of the year. I’m taking some time off to celebrate Christmas and will return on January 2, 2013 for the next posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Your co-hosts will be Jamie Gibbs from Mithril Wisdom and Tyrean Martinson. But don’t worry – the Ninja will be lurking…

The final installment of Michael Abayomi’s series, Guardians and the Lost Paradise, is finally available! You can pick up The Other Side at Amazon or buy all six books in a bundle HERE. Congratulations, Michael!!

And Mini Alex took a road trip! Elise took him with her to Paris and Mini Alex ended up in several photographs. Thanks, Elise! Poor little dude will be bored with my place…

Favorite Movies of 2012

Thought I’d do a roundup of my favorite movies of the year, even though Tarantino’s Django Unchained isn’t out yet. These are the films I enjoyed in 2012:

#9 – The Cabin in the Woods – Joss Whedon and a bat-shit crazy ending. It turned the horror genre on its head.

#8 - The Amazing Spiderman – No, we didn’t need a reboot this soon, but I enjoyed this version far more than Sam Raimi’s movies. Spiderman had snark!

#7 – The Hobbit – Fun, beautiful visuals, and charming. It was a comfortable and familiar place I didn’t want to leave.

#6 – Argo – Incredibly well acted and tense! And best unofficial tagline of the year. (If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about.)

#5 – Lincoln – Powerful and riveting. Day-Lewis made me believe he was Lincoln.

#4 – The Dark Knight Rises – A little dark but a powerful ending to the trilogy. Yes, I am a DC geek and Christopher Nolan fanboy. So sue me.

#3 - John Carter – This is what a space opera/adventure is supposed to be! Epic. (And yes, I really wish I’d written it.)

#2 – Looper – Highly underrated small-scale science fiction film Great performances and second in plot twists only to Memento.

#1 – The Avengers – Best superhero film EVER. Joss Whedon hit this one out of the park.

And I wanted to note a couple other films:

Dumbest fun movie – Battleship – Yup, and just as dumb but fun the second time. Maybe even more so. And the Battleship references are hysterical.

Biggest Disappointment – Prometheus – The more I thought about it, the more I didn’t like it. The Swiss cheese of movie plots.

Worst movie – Lockout – Save yourself and skip this film! Bad on every level except for Guy Pearce. Dude, you used to do great films like Memento and L.A. Confidential! What happened?

Did you see any memorable films this year?

Thoughts on 2012/2013

As we close out 2012, I have to say this has been one heck of a year! Everything about it was amazing. On the book front, my second book came out, I wrote the third book, and the first two both became Amazon Best Sellers. Online the IWSG continues to rock, I got to host the A to Z Challenge again, hosted some blogfests, and even WAS a blogfest. (Still singed, but I lived.) And on the home front I’m playing in a band and even got to take some real vacations this year.

Next year of course will be more awesome IWSG posts, the fourth A to Z Challenge, and of course the third and final book, CassaStorm, in September.

The final book? I’m not sure. Toying with the idea of co-writing a book with another author. Also thinking that I will miss the Cassan universe. I think three books is good though. Besides, since I keep jumping ahead twenty years, Byron will soon be a hundred, and I don’t think he’ll be all that exciting at that point.

But whether I continue writing or choose to focus on my guitar playing, I still intend to remain here for you guys. I’ve made so many awesome friends and found a tremendous community online. I want to continue to serve you and be a blessing! Thanks for making this year awesome. You guys rock!

Ready to kick off 2013 with the IWSG? Did you see Mini Alex in Paris? How was your 2012 and what are your plans for 2013? And what were some of your favorite movies this year?

Everyone have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!