My awesome co-hosts for the July 3 posting of the IWSG are Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre, Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor!
July 3 question: What personal traits have you written into your character(s)?
Most of my characters are nothing like me. Aden from Dragon of the Stars is pretty much my polar opposite. Only Byron from my Cassa series got any of my traits – I’m also a perfectionist and like my privacy. When I was younger, I had his temper, but I outgrew that. Like most rock stars, I mellowed with age…
And on a side note, I have been writing! Around a thousand words a night for the past week. But I’m in the groove and should have a finished story by August.
Science Fiction - Fantasy Movies
I'm so excited to have a spot on IWSG day at the grand poobah's place!
Alex is a top notch movie reviewer and sci fi writer, among other fantastic things... So as I celebrate the release of WINDY HOLLOW, fantasy adventure, I thought a short post about my favorite sci-fantasy movies would be apropos. Sci-fantasy incorporates sci fi settings or tech with some mystical or magical components. In Beast World, the fantasy creatures are no strangers to modern-day technology!
Here are some of my favorites of yon and of late... I didn't want to take up too much space, and I bet you could name a bunch more in the comments!
Star Wars (1977 sci-fantasy at its finest!)
Time Bandits (1981)
The Secret of Nimh (1982)
Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
The Matrix (1999)
I, Robot (2004)
WALL*E (2008)
Inception (2010)
Wreck It Ralph (2012)
Ready Player One (2018)
I always thought my Beast World stories would be awesome for an animated film series. They have everything I look for in a fantasy adventure movie: hijinks, young romance, difficult journeys, friendship, action, suspense, justice, unpredictability, highs, lows, soul-searching, unsung heroes, and lots of laughs. (Side note: I wrote this article back in January for my expected release back then... after some agony, I finally published it myself, then discovered a movie will be coming out next year: ONWARD by Pixar that is basically set in my Beast World. It’s been a devastating blow, but I’m working on getting noticed and taking it back!)
Anyway, thanks again for having me, Alex. I enjoyed the stroll down my sci-fantasy movie past and future. And for helping me get the word out about WINDY HOLLOW!
WINDY HOLLOWBeast World MG Fantasy Series, book #3
by Tara Tyler
Available NOW!
This summer, Gabe and his friends fly over the Great Sea for the wedding of the century: a dragon prince and a beautiful harpy. But Gabe can't relax on this vacation. Besides competing in rigorous wedding events, he overhears the nearby human village WINDY HOLLOW is in danger from an evil human scientist and a vengeful were-ogre experimenting on beasts. Gabe and his friends risk crossing the mountains to help, despite several warnings.
Maybe he's going too far this time, but he's in too deep to quit. It's do or die, hopefully not die!
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tara tyler newsDon't forget to enter the giveaway!
IWSG Anthology Contest
Don’t forget the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Annual Anthology Contest is open and taking submissions!
Genre is middle grade historical – adventure/ fantasy and the theme is voyagers.
See the site for full details.
For those who are confused by the genre:
Middle grade – suitable for 9 – 14 year-old children.
Historical – it must have historical aspects and be set in a time before 2000 or earlier. It just needs to be set in the past.
Adventure/fantasy – the subgenre can be either adventure OR fantasy. The fantasy genre is acceptable as there are many ancient cultures and times that believed in supernatural occurrences.
Book News!
My publisher is running a Fourth of July special - buy a book and get a free book.
Full details on their site.
Life without chocolate and junk food—completely miserable. Finding someone poisoned by a cake—even worse.
Can Mollie nab the murderer before someone else is poisoned?
Spoiler Alert: You’ll never look at rutabagas the same way again after you finish reading this book!
Find Poisoned at the Pier on Amazon and Goodreads
Find Ellen at her website and blog
July Movie Preview
Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for July! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.
2 –Spiderman: Far From Home
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Zendaya, Angourie Rice, Tom Holland, Jon Favreau
Saw this on opening night - awesome! Don't miss it. And stay for the double ending. Totally worth it. Review next week!
Stuber
A detective recruits his Uber driver into an unexpected night of adventure.
Director: Michael Dowse
Stars: Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Betty Gilpin, Kumail Nanjiani
Drax takes an Uber…
A young woman, while attempting to save her father during a Category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators. Director: Alexandre Aja
Stars: Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper, Ross Anderson, Anson Boon
Alligators attacking during a hurricane. I dread the Asylum/SyFy rip-off coming – Sharknado vs. Hurrigator.
The Lion King
After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.
Director: Jon Favreau
Stars: John Kani, Seth Rogen, Donald Glover, Keegan-Michael Key
At this point, Disney doesn’t need an original thought ever again…
Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood
A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Sydney Sweeney
Tarantino puts 70’s Hollywood in a blender.
Do your characters have your personality traits? What are your favorite science fiction - fantasy films? Picking up Windy Hollow, Poisoned at the Pier, or another book? (Ellen will be here on Monday!) Submitting to the IWSG Anthology Contest? And what July movies catch your eye?
