Television App War, Jessica K. McKendry’s Lies and Truth, Sports Movie Trivia, and Ninja News

Jessica Therrien has a special feature called My Publishing Journey. Today, I am the guest of honor. If you’ve ever wondered how someone with no desire to become an author ended up with four books, numerous anthologies, and audio books, not to mention starting the IWSG, then visit Jessica.

The Television App War – No More Free

There’s no more free television. You’ll need an app for that. As a matter of fact, you’ll need many, many apps…

If you subscribe to cable or satellite, you still have access to most of the channels either online or through the app. With Direct TV, you can still access most of the content your paid package provides. Most. Not all.

CBS now has CBS All Access. If you want to see the new Star Trek series, you’ll have to get the CBS All Access app. By getting, I mean pay for it. Ten bucks a month.

Now, ten bucks a month isn’t bad. NetFlix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are all about that much. Each one has its own original content as well, so it’s worth the price.

But what happens when each station or channel wants a slice of the pie and its own app like CBS All Access? What happens when they start pulling their content from other apps and starting their own – like Disney, who will pull everything including Marvel movies from NetFlix next year?

What happens is a giant mess. And as it fractures more and more, it will cost more. Even if you cut the cord on cable, you’ll still need an app. Or two or three or four…

Anyone else concerned where this is going? And where it might end…?

Jessica K. McKendry and Two Lies and a Truth

Hello lovely people!

The past few days have been incredibly exciting, because first, I turned 21 on Friday! And secondly, my second novel The Inferiors (From the Ashes #2) is being released TODAY! In honor of The Inferiors release, I’m hosting a lil blog hop that you can sign up for on my blog here.

In honor of my book release and my blog hop called LIES, I’m going to give you two lies and one truth about a character in my book. (If you sign up, you can write two lies and one truth about you, about a character you’ve written about, or a character in your favorite story.) So here goes.

CHARACTER: Liam Rodan
AGE: 17

1. I used to be best friends with my worst enemy
2. I’m a player, I live for the game
3. I’m a hopeless romantic

Now you get to guess :)

Add From the Ashes and The Inferiors on Goodreads, and you can buy both on Amazon as a paperback or an eBook! (Direct link - The Inferiors)

Everyone who takes a guess and gets it right will have a chance to win a free copy of your choice of From the Ashes (#1) or The Inferiors (#2).

Have a lovely day everyone!

–Jess

Ninja News

Anne R. Allen had a great article on Sunday - Want to Increase Your Blog Readership? Kill that Popup! If you use popups on your site, or you’re thinking about it, you definitely want to read this.

C. Lee McKenzie’s young adult book, Double Negative, is up for the Readers Choice Awards. Voting is now through December 10. Find Double Negative on page 12/16.

The IWSG is partnered with Reedsy, as site that offers great content and great services. What you might not know is that IWSG members get a discount! To qualify, register with the site HERE and you’ll be eligible to get twenty-five percent off of their services. A great deal!

Don’t forget the deadline for the annual IWSG Anthology Contest is November 1 and the IWSG Show Your Writer Insecurity Contest is October 4!

New Releases!

Long time blogger buddy Helena Soister has two new releases!

Charity MacCay and the Almighty Dollar
Charity MacCay persists, and resists, and she's scheming to pull herself up by her high-heeled bootstraps while helping the people she loves.
Find it on Amazon

Charity MacCay and the Saintly Wives
In this sequel to the Almighty Dollar, Charity MacCay knows how to get into trouble, and how to be trouble for anyone who tries to hurt her or her man.
Find it on Amazon

Sports Movie Trivia

Soon we will hit the great sports overlap – football, hockey, basketball, and baseball all at the same time.

To celebrate, here is some sports movie trivia for you. Some are easy, some you’ll have to think about. But name the movie from the year released, sport, and star of the film:

1 - 2000’s, football, Sandra Bullock
2 - 80’s, baseball, Tom Berenger
3 - 90’s, golf, Kevin Costner
4 - 2000’s, horse racing, Viggo Mortensen
5 - 90’s, hockey, Russell Crowe
6 - 70’s, boxing, Sylvester Stallone
7 - 90’s, football, Sean Astin
8 - 2000’s, football, Mark Wahlberg
9 - 70’s, running, Susan Anton
10 - 80’s, baseball, Kevin Costner
11 - 90’s, bobsledding, John Candy
12 - 2000’s, jousting, Heath Ledger
13 - 80’s, rowing, Nicolas Cage
14 - 2000’s, skating, Will Ferrell

Answers on Monday!

What’s your thoughts on the app war? Can you guess Jessica’s truth and lies? Checked out Reedsy? And do you know any of the trivia?

Don’t forget to visit Jessica Therrien!

The Future of Virtual Reality, Force Awakens News, Jessica Therrien’s Publishing Journey, Dark Was the Night Review, Annoying Blogger Verification, and Ninja News

My Publishing Journey by Jessica Therrien

Back when I was a super NOOB at this whole writing thing, I went to a writers conference with a manuscript as thick as a ream of paper. The book was crap, but somehow it got recognized, and I was signed pretty much on the spot by a local small press. They were pretty honest about my manuscript’s Twilight-wanna-be-ness, but they liked my idea and my writing style. We worked out the kinks and I learned a lot.

The release of my first novel went well. Better than well, actually. OPPRESSION (Children of the Gods #1) became a Barnes & Noble best-seller soon after its release. Online, the cover of my book sat right next to the Hunger Games. *Faints*

Things slowed down after a while. I had a baby. Then I had another baby… (Turns out I’m a professional baby-haver).

But somehow that zombie-writer in me took over and spit out two more books.

My publisher at the time began to struggle and was doing little for me in the way of marketing, etc. I had a few choices. 1) Stay with my small press. 2) Hit the market and hope to sell my series to another publisher (but what publisher would pick up a series on the third book?) 3) Do what all of my author friends were doing…leave my publisher to self-pub.

Honestly, I didn’t like any of the options. BUT I had an idea. *ligtbulb*

What if my author friends and I started our own imprint? Not our own publishing house, but rather self-published under the same name? Two of my writing partners already had a decent editing business, which could easily be expanded to include publishing. So we did it.

Acorn Publishing is the best of both worlds. The authors get to keep all of their rights, make all the decisions, and keep 100% of their profits while still maintaining that extra level of legitimacy: A publisher’s logo, being part of a collection of works that have been vetted by a team of professionals, and the support of a great group of people.

Sweet right?!

For more info on Acorn Publishing, check out our website. We are accepting submissions.

Find Jessica at her blog.
Find the Children of the Gods series on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and add Redemption on Goodreads

The Future of Virtual Reality

Recently, Muse released a music video for their song, Revolt. This is not your normal music video though. It was shot in 360 for a full virtual reality experience.

Video gamers are familiar with the V.R. experience. And you can purchase V.R. goggles for certain games and videos. But it’s limited in its use and expensive.

This shows the potential of where V.R. can go though. It’s more a gee-whiz factor, but it shows the potential beyond goggles and video games. A complete, immersive movie-going experience? A Star Trek holodeck? There are so many possibilities!

To view the Muse video (and many other short videos) download the app VRSE to your tablet or phone.

The Force Awakens and X-Men News

Blastr has a great interview with actor Anthony Daniels who plays C3PO in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

CinemaBlend announced the official run time of the film – 135 minutes. (So, I’d recommend avoiding the super-size drink.)

And, we also will get our first look at X-Men: Apocalypse soon – the trailer will air before The Force Awakens.

Movie Review

Dark Was the Night

Staring Kevin Durand and Lukas Haas, something lurks in the woods outside a tiny mountain town. This small budget horror film was surprisingly good and had a lot going for it.
Some of the scenes are shot with a blue filter, which really sets the tone. The tension is a slow mount and you never see the creature until the end. (Which is good, as that was one of the few low points – it’s not awful, but it’s not good.)
One really big plus is the development of the characters. There is a real human element to the people and a secondary story that deals with healing after the loss of a child. The actors all did a fine job in their roles.
Most of what happens is handled realistically. A date is never given, but a setting of late 1990’s to early 2000’s would work. (Otherwise, the takeover of social media after that blows the plausibility part.)
And the only other issue was the overall tone of the movie is a bit down. Don’t expect humor to lighten the load.
However, the quality was excellent and I would recommend it.

Annoying New Blogger Verification!

If you visit more than twenty-five Blogger blogs in a day, then you’ve encountered this:

The most annoying verification ever! Once in a great while, I hit a blog where it doesn’t appear. Not sure if it’s because the owner has gone in and adjusted the settings or not. (Most of us have it set to no verification, but maybe switching to yes and then back to no makes a difference?)

Blogger and Google offer no help or reason. Anyone know a way around this?

Because apparently, I really suck at picking out the road signs…

Ninja News

Thanks to everyone who helped me to escape the Vortex last week!

An update on the IWSG Anthology Contest - this week, the top stories will go to our panel of judges. Once they have selected the winning entries (before Christmas) we will notify the winners and announce them by the first IWSG post in January. Thanks to everyone who entered – there were some really great stories!

New Releases:

The Haunted Realm by Emilyann Girdner
Book 2 in the Obsidian Series
A Young Adult Dystopian Epic Fantasy Book
Find it at Amazon Kindle, Amazon paperback, and Barnes and Noble

A Jefigoop Comes To Have A Poop by Pat Hatt
This is kids’ book number fifty-two for Pat!
Find it on Amazon

Think Jessica’s journey is one you would take? Getting excited for The Force Awakens? Seen Dark Was the Night? Annoyed by the new Blogger verification? Picking up some new books? And where do you see virtual reality going…?

I got an iPad Pro last week! Review coming soon...

Bone Tomahawk Film Review, November Movie Preview, Monday’s Music, Introvert or Extrovert?, Tails for Vets, New Book Releases, Battle Results, and Ninja News

I have a short interview at Tim Knight’s site, Hero Press. If you’re into geek stuff, Tim runs an awesome site.

Movie Review – Bone Tomahawk

Four men set out in the Wild West to rescue a group of captives from cannibalistic cave dwellers.
This can best be described as an arthouse Western/horror film with drama.
Some might be frustrated by the slow pace. (Remember my review of Slow West?) However, I enjoyed the slow burn. By the end of the film, I was really invested in the characters.
It has some funny moments and all of the actors do an amazing job, especially Russell and Jenkins.
There are only a couple bloody horror scenes, but be warned – they are graphic. (As a dude, I really cringed at one scene.)
If you have to have a lot of action, skip this film. If you like a slow pace and watching the characters and story unfold at a leisurely pace, then I recommend this one.
Now playing in theaters and on Direct TV.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Hosted by Xmas Dolly She asked if I would be this week’s Spotlight Dancer. (Little did she know, I can’t dance.)
Fortunately, no dancing is involved. I get to pick the theme for today.
After deciding that Scandinavian heavy metal music might be too limiting (not to mention scare the crap out of the other participants) I chose the theme of Movie Soundtracks.


Here are my picks:

First off, I had to go with Extreme’s Play With Me. (Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) 

Sadly, there’s no really good video version of this song…

Megadeth – 99 Ways to Die (Beavis and Butthead Do America) 

You might not like the music, but the video has a great message.

Pantera – Cemetary Gates (Tales From the Crypt – Demon Night) 

Great song, and probably their most accessible.

Visit Xmas Dolly to join the fun and visit other participants.

Ninja News

Stephanie Farris listed CassaStar as one of the best books she’d read in October. Thanks for taking a chance on a new genre, Stephanie!

Tails for Vets!

Tails of the Apocalypse is a collection of dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories featuring animals and features a story by E.E. Giorgi.

Samuel Peralta, who produced this anthology, paired with Pets for Vets, an organization that matches shelter dogs with military veterans. Pourteau plans to donate $1.00 to Pets for Vets from every copy of Tails of the Apocalypse sold through the end of the calendar year, regardless of format‚ e-book, paperback, or audiobook.

The project is called Tails for Vets, and you can help two different ways –

1 – Join the Tails for Vets Street Team

2 – Buy the Book – It releases on November 20, but you can pre-order now on Amazon.

New Releases!

Mayhem in the Air by the authors at Untethered Realms

Find it at Amazon, Smashwords, and Google Play

A Faerie’s Revenge by Rachel Morgan

The fifth book in the Creepy Hollow series, and the second book in Calla’s story.

Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords

Redemption (Children of the Gods #3) by Jessica Therrien

Nobody promised freedom would be peaceful…

Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads

The first two books are only .99 cents at Amazon - Oppression and Uprising

There’s also a Rafflecopter giveaway.

Max Blizzard and The Cup of Kings by Pat Hatt

Find it on Amazon

Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. Rose

A handsome detective, a shadow man, and a murder victim kill Lauren’s plan for a simple life.

Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books We Love Bookstore

Battle of the Banned Results

Hosted by Shady Del Knight. Here are the results from last Monday.

Two songs from horror movies – and this is how the votes fell:

Dokken – Dream Warriors from Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Warriors - 15

Lou Gramm – Lost in the Shadows from The Lost Boys - 10

Dream Warriors got off to an early lead and never let it go…

Question of the Month

Hosted by Michael at A Life Examined.

This month’s question - “Are you an introvert or an extrovert?”

This one is easy. Introvert. However, I’m not a shy, awkward, don’t want to deal with the world introvert. I’m a musician who performs on stage and an author with several books published, so I have to be extroverted to some degree. I enjoy people and certainly enjoy this online community of friends. But I prefer to stay more in the background and let others take the spotlight. I’d rather ask questions and learn more about people than talk about myself.

Of course, my home is my castle and sanctuary and still the best place to hide!

November Movie Preview

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

6 –

Spectre

A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

Director: Sam Mendes

Stars: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, Léa Seydoux

Bond is back and probably not doing anything we’ve not seen before, but we’ll go anyway…

13 –

The 33

Based on the real-life event, when a gold and copper mine collapses, it traps 33 miners underground for 69 days.

Director: Patricia Riggen

Stars: Naomi Scott, James Brolin, Antonio Banderas, Lou Diamond Phillips

Just a word of caution – this movie not suitable for minors.

20 –

The Night Before

In New York City for their annual tradition of Christmas Eve debauchery, three lifelong best friends set out to find the Holy Grail of Christmas parties since their yearly reunion might be coming to an end.

Director: Jonathan Levine

Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lizzy Caplan, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie

Rogan turns what is meant to be a joyous family time into a night of vulgarity, debauchery, and excess. Merry Christmas, everybody.

27 –

The Good Dinosaur

An epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.

Director: Peter Sohn

Stars: Raymond Ochoa, Jeffrey Wright, Steve Zahn, A.J. Buckley

The only good dinosaur is a dead dinosaur. Oh, wait…

Victor Frankenstein

Told from Igor's perspective, we see the troubled young assistant's dark origins, his redemptive friendship with the young medical student Viktor Von Frankenstein, and become eyewitnesses to the emergence of how Frankenstein became the man - and the legend - we know today.

Director: Paul McGuigan

Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott

This one could sneak in and be a cool gothic thriller for the holidays. (Fingers crossed.)

Anyone else see Bone Tomahawk? What soundtrack music moves you today? Can you help Tails for Vets? See some good new releases? Are you an introvert or extrovert? And what movies interest you this month?

See you Wednesday for the IWSG post!

And don’t forget to visit Hero Press!

How to Make it as an Author, Black Sea Review, Submarine Movie Trivia, Battle of the Banned, and Ninja News

Five Years or Five Books to Make it as an Author

Jamie Ayres said something really interesting last week in her IWSG post:

Almost everyone I’ve talked with or listened to on panels took five years or five books to truly ‘make it.’

Now, I’m about to hit five years come October 19. (That’s when my first book, CassaStar, was released.) But if it truly takes five books, I’ve only had four published. (Not counting my boxed set and numerous anthologies.)

My first thought? Crap, you mean I have to write another book?!

I was just starting to enjoy writing short stories. Writing yet another book – I just wasn’t planning on it. And what do I write? Another science fiction book?

I got news for you guys. Science fiction is not a big seller. If I wanted to write in a genre that sells big, I’d write mysteries. But that’s not my genre. I could write fantasy, but unless I’m doing detailed, high fantasy with a lot of sex and violence, I don’t think I’ll do well there, either. My Cassa series is done. Dragon of the Stars is a stand-alone book. Outside of Dragon’s Destiny, the short story I wrote for anyone who has read the novel, I can’t think of anything more I could do with the characters.

So, where does that leave me?

Well, even if I never ‘make it,’ this journey has been far more amazing than I ever imagined. Four books, one boxed set, numerous anthologies, the IWSG, and a multitude of friends. That sounds like I made it to me.

Movie Review – Black Sea

From the IMDB: In order to make good with his former employers, a submarine captain takes a job with a shadowy backer to search the depths of the Black Sea for a submarine rumored to be loaded with gold.
An interesting movie – had a great claustrophobic atmosphere to it.
Jude Law is great in the film as the lead. The other characters are good, ranging from Scottish to Russian. Ben Mendelsohn’s character was a head scratcher, though. Why would they allow a mental case on the boat?
It had some flaws, but overall entertaining. If you like submarine movies or even adventure films, it’s worth a rental.

Ninja News

Angela Ackerman is visiting the IWSG today, talking about One Stop For Writers and how it all came together.


Today’s Themes That Rocked the Challenge feature at the A to Z Blog is Saraallie’s Universal Studios Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme with lots of pictures!

On Blastr: Marvel announced some new movies and release dates:
Ant-Man and the Wasp will release July 6, 2018
Black Panther has been shifted to February 16, 2018
Captain Marvel will release on March 8, 2019
Three unnamed movies will release May 1, 2020, July 10, 2020, and November 6, 2020

Patricia Lynne is hosting the Trick or Treat Book Blog Hop. Free books and a great chance to promote! Visit her site for details.

Mason Canyon of Thoughts in Progress posted about a writing contest - World’s Best Story. Top three winners will receive a full publishing package by FriesenPress. Lots of other prizes. Deadline November 8. See Mason’s site for details.

Despite a lower return on the third film Expendables 4 will begin shooting next year. Like Resident Evil, this series will go on as long as most of the cast lives…

Jessica Therrien’s Read and Review Challenge is underway! Tons of books available for free for a review. (Including one of mine.) Read and review ten books by March 31 to be eligible for some really awesome prizes. Visit the Read and Review Challenge Library for details and a list of books.

New Release!

A Beautiful Betrayal by Saran Torchre (Shah Wharton)
Her blog tour kicks off this week!
Find A Beautiful Betrayal on Amazon

Just a few weeks remaining for the IWSG Anthology Contest, open until November 1! The theme is Alternate History/Parallel Universe and any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter. Winners will be published in a royalty-paying anthology next year.

Battle of the Banned and Monday’s Music Moves Me

This is Shady Del Knight’s Battle of the Banned. (Yes, Banned, not Band.) It pits two songs against each other and you vote for your favorite.

I’m also participating in X-Mas Dolly’s Monday’s Music Moves Me with this entry.

The theme this month is Halloween. Now, I am all about the rock and metal. My initial search yielded no results for Halloween themed songs with covers. So, I decided to be a rebel and pit two different songs against each other.

First up is Rob Zombie’s Living Dead Girl. Rob is a huge horror movie fan, and his music and videos reflect that. (He’s also headed up the production of Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights and made several horror films.)

Next up is Ozzy Osbourne’s Bark at the Moon. In his early days, Ozzy went for the evil look, wavering between horror and the occult. (Because it was hip. Now we know he wasn’t a Satanist – just a dude who’d fried a few too many brain cells.)

You know the drill – which song do you like best?

Movie Trivia

Submarine movies! Guess the movie from the stars and the year.

1 – Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Viggo Mortensen - 1995
2 – Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider - 1996
3 – Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Donald Pleasance - 1966
4 – Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Sam Neill - 1990
5 – Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Jon Bon Jovi - 2000
6 – Doug McClure, John McEnery, Susan Penhaligon - 1975

Answers next Monday!

Do you think it takes five years/books to make it as an author? Seen Black Sea? Excited for more Marvel movies? Participating in the Read and Review Challenge? Which song do you like best? And do you know any of the trivia…?

My wife and I are going on vacation this week, so you won’t see me much around the blogging world. I’ll stop in when I can and keep up with emails.

The Martian Review, RiffTrax Live, Salem’s Daughters, October Scary Stuff, Question of the Month, and Ninja News

So much good stuff today - The Martian review, Rifftrax Live - Miami Connection review and slide show... and we’re kicking off this week with a visit from my good blogger buddy, author Stephen Tremp!



Thanks Alex for hosting me as I kick off Salem’s Daughters Blog Tour! Your website is a launching pad and I greatly appreciate the momentum. The year is 1705 outside Boston. Thirty nine witches are flushed from their coven by a drunken mob and are running for their lives. Only thirteen (ages 13-17) survive by separating their souls and inhabiting six-month old cats in the first of their nine lives. The story then fast forwards to present day.

Now in their sixth life, they use their gifts for mischief and mayhem at a bed and breakfast named Murcat Manor. Salem’s Daughters is a supernatural thriller and will please a wide variety of audiences including paranormal, science fiction, mystery, and suspense

Okay, time to meet the ladies:

Emily Livingston - leader and possesses each ability the other cats have, as long as they’re alive.
Rebecca - start fires. Short tempered.
Annie - speed things up and slow them down, like a person’s heart rate.
Chloe - levitate objects and opens things.
Amy - teleport herself instantly.
Helen - reverse things and locks and unlocks doors.
Angel - cause people to dream, influence their dreams, and prophecy about their future.
Scarlett - cast a bout of madness on a person.
Isabella - telepathy and illusion casting.
Rachel - astral travel: separate her soul from her body and travel outside it.
Jacqueline - freeze things or cause a body’s temperature to drop.
Esther - cause small explosions and heated bursts of energy.
Madelyn - genius, remembers everything and processes information faster than anyone.

Thanks again Alex for hosting me! You’re the bestest. My next stop is this Friday September 9th at Susan Swiderski’s blog, I Think Therefore I Yam.
And now the pertinent links for a full synopsis, downloads, and other fun stuff:
Amazon Kindle, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and blog

The Martian Movie Review

Directed by Ridley Scott – and the movie is so good, you can almost forgive the awful Prometheus.
Overall, this is great science fiction. Very plausible.
It moved a little slow, but the story is so enthralling that you’ll be riveted from beginning to end.
Matt Damon carries a lot of the film by himself. His character is smart, in control, and sometimes snarky. And in contrast with Gravity, you really like and care about him.
The supporting cast was incredible. Each one had their own, individual role and came across as so real and genuine.
The special effects were of course good. And they blended well – I didn’t even notice them.
What I really liked was the film’s hopeful message. People working together to solve a problem. That’s not something you see often in the age of cynicism.
Highly recommended!

RiffTrax Review

Another RiffTrax classic! Miami Connection was a cheap 80’s production with no continuity whatsoever. Easy fodder for the guys and it was hilarious. Some great lines:

Scene: Ninja in white walks into room of ninjas in black. Oh, we’re wearing black today? Thanks for telling me. You guys are dicks.

Scene: Gang members at night waiting for a fight. And waiting. And waiting… Like a bad 80’s video that won’t start.

And of course, many funny pre-show screens:

Ninja News

Don’t forget the IWSG Anthology Contest is open until November 1! The theme is Alternate History/Parallel Universe and any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging (must post for the IWSG at least once in September or October) or Facebook member (must join by today.) Winners will be published in a royalty-paying anthology next year.

Special re-release!
UPRISING (Children of the Gods #2) by Jessica Therrien
Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Goodreads


Jessica Therrien is also hosting the Read and Review Challenge and it kicked off last week! Runs until March 31, 2016, so pick some books, read and review, and be eligible to win cool stuff.

Battle of the Banned

Hosted by Shady Del Knight. Here are the results from last Monday.

The song was Holy Diver, originally done by Dio. Killswitch got my vote, although they didn’t need it:
Ronnie James Dio –15
Killswitch Engage – 18

Another battle next week!

Halloween and October Happenings

Looking for some creepy stories? Haunted places? Ghosts and more? Then check out these bloggers in October:

Steven Symes is posting the 31 Days of Halloween. Something paranormal every day.

Jeremy at Hollywood Nuts is sharing some old horror comic covers every day.

Yolanda at Defending the Pen is featuring a selection of authors for a Halloween interview and flash fiction challenge.

Every Friday, Stephanie Faris is posting a scary story about a real place.

JE Oneil is posting scary websites, scary stories, and scary movies every Tuesday.

And if you want chills year-round, JH Moncrieff is always posting about strange phenomena and places.

Question of the Month

Hosted by Michael at A Life Examined.

“Who would play you in a movie of your life?”

Ryan Reynolds? We both have two legs, two arms, and a head.

Actually, I’d have to play myself. There’s no one out there who could understand the crazy depths of my brain.

It’s also quite possible the film would be a cartoon...

Ready to meet Stephen Tremp’s ladies? Anyone else see The Martian this past weekend? Did you go to the RiffTrax show? Have you written your entry for the IWSG Anthology? Battle of the Banned results surprise you? Ready for some Halloween chills? And who would play you in a movie…?

See you Wednesday for the IWSG post!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group Big Announcement! Plus September Movie Preview, Movie Trivia Answers, 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 Julie Flanders, Murees Dupé, Dolorah at Book Lover, Christine Rains, and Heather Gardner!


Today marks four years since the group began and two years since we opened the website. So what better way to celebrate than offer our members an amazing opportunity! Presenting…

The IWSG Short Story Contest 2015

After the success of last year’s IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond, we decided to create another book. This time it’s a short story competition with the top ten stories getting published in an anthology. (Authors will also receive royalties on sales.)

Eligibility: Any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging or Facebook member. The story must be previously unpublished. Entry is free.

Word count: 5000-6000

Theme: Alternate History/Parallel Universe. That’s right, we’ve decided to go the speculative route. This theme has plenty of scope and we’re open to pretty much anything along these lines, except erotica or graphic violence.

Story deadline: November 1st 2015

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted, previously unpublished story to TheIWSG at gmail dot com before the deadline passes. Make sure to include your contact details.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges:
Laura Maisano - Senior editor at Anaiah Press for their YA/NA Christian fiction
Russell Connor – Author and owner of Dark Filament Publishing Startup
Candace Havens – Editorial Director for the Covet, Select, Select Otherworld, Select Historical, Embrace, Indulgence for Entangled Publishing. She is also a nationally syndicated columnist and award-winning and best-selling author.
Dawn Frederick – Literary agent and the founder of Red Sofa Literary
Alice Speilburg – Founder of the Speilburg Literary Agency
Michelle Johnson – Literary agent and the founder of Inklings Literary Agency
Kendare Blake - Author
Lydia Moëd - Associate agent at The Rights Factory

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title. The winners will also receive an exclusive badge to display on their blog.

We’re excited to see the creativity and enthusiasm that’s such a part of this group put into action. So don your creative caps and start writing. And spread the word!

The #IWSG short story anthology contest is open! For details - http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2015/09/iwsg-post-day-and-special-anniversary.html #contest #shortstory #anthology

Ninja News

Battle of the Banned results:
The song was Powerslave and the votes were close. With my vote for Maiden…
Iron Madien - 12
Testament - 8

Truedessa wrote a beautiful poem about the Dragon and posted a shot of the book and swag she won!


Rhonda Albom’s daughter had this exciting news:
I have been accepted into the AFS student exchange program! I will be going to Argentina for the 2016 year. One of several ways I am fundraising for my portion of expenses is by creating an online Zazzle store and selling some of my photography works on different products. I started Sarah Albom Photography a few days ago.

Interesting article at Tiny Tickle - Leeds and the World's First Science Fiction Convention. Arthur C. Clarke was one of the attendees.

New Releases!

Garden of Lost Souls: A Collection of Flash Fiction by Madeline Mora-Summonte 
Find it at Amazon and Goodreads

Tiamat's Nest by Ian S. Bott
Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBookstore

Just Another Day in Purgatory by River Fairchild
Amazon. iBookstore, and Barnes and Noble

Re-release:
Oppression by Jessica Therrien

Movie Trivia Answers 

1 – Where is your drill sergeant, men? Blown up, Sir! – 1981- Stripes
2 – In Mexico, you know what they call Twinkies? Los submarions. – 2009 - Zombieland
3 – Wild Thing, you make my heart sing. You walk everything. – 1989 Major League
4 – Hey, get a room guys… Oh that’s not right! – 1999 Galaxy Quest
5 – I’m going to call her Lunch. Hello, Lunch, hello! Ew! Avoid the green ones-not ripe yet. – 1988 A Fish Called Wanda

September Movie Preview

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

4 –

The Transporter Refueled
In the south of France, former special-ops mercenary Frank Martin enters into a game of chess with a femme-fatale and her three sidekicks who are looking for revenge against a sinister Russian kingpin.
Director: Camille Delamarre
Stars: Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol, Ray Stevenson, Lenn Kudrjawizki
Now refueled with even fewer stars…



11 –

The Visit
A single mother finds that things in her family's life go very wrong after her two young children visit their grandparents.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Stars: Kathryn Hahn, Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan
It’s actually getting good buzz – it’s the director’s apology for the past four films.



18 –

Everest 
A climbing expedition on Mt. Everest is devastated by a severe snow storm.
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Stars: Elizabeth Debicki, Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley, Robin Wright
It looks good – I actually want to see this one.

Sicario
An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Jon Bernthal, Josh Brolin
Good buzz and could be another hit for Blunt.




25 –

Hotel Transylvania 2
Dracula and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson in order to keep Mavis from leaving the hotel.
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Stars: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Nick Offerman
Adam Sandler – insert your own suck joke here.

What are your writer insecurities today? Picking up any of the new releases? Get any of the trivia right? Which movies are you seeing in September? And who plans to enter the IWSG contest…?