Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Plus RiffTrax Live, June Movie Preview, Members of Band Mastodon Die, and New Release From Heather Gardner

Today (Wednesday) I am visiting Lynda Young and discussing why writers need support. Thursday, I am visiting Patricia Stoltey and discussing the best way to market a book. Please stop by and visit both amazing ladies!

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 M. Pax, Tracy Jo, Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone, and Randi Lee!

We are also adding new things to the site. The Publications page now includes conferences, conventions, workshops, festivals, retreats, and seminars, broken down by month. Plus we announced some upcoming stuff, so check it out today.

I’m in a good place now as far as books and writing go. Dragon of the Stars is selling well. There have been many ads in program guides and bookmarks handed out at science fiction conventions. (Next conventions are Space City Comic Con in Texas and Pensacola Comic Con in Florida.) I have guest appearances online through the middle of July. (Monday I visited Rachna’s Scriptorium and discussed the importance of characters.) I might even write a short story about what happens after Dragon ends. (For a very special fan and friend.)

The big news came yesterday from my publisher - CassaFire has been picked up by a publisher in Turkey for Turkish translation into both print and eBook. My book will be available in another language! That is just too wild. Never in my wildest dreams...

Otherwise, I intend to focus more on the IWSG this summer and what I can do to help other writers!

RiffTrax: Live!

Coming to you live, 8:00 pm, July 9 – RiffTrax: Live – Sharknado 2!
If you’ve never seen Mike, Kevin, and Bill, the members of RiffTrax, do a live event, now is your chance.
It will be held in Nashville, TN and broadcast live to hundreds of screens across the country.
Visit the RiffTrax site to get tickets.
And if you want to know more about RiffTrax, check out my interview with Kevin and Bill from earlier this year.

Ninja News

From Entertainment Weekly - Three members of the metal band Mastodon were killed Sunday night – on Game of Thrones! Bill Kelliher, Brent Hinds, and Brann Dailor were all Wildlings, killed and resurrected by the White Walkers. The guys said it was an incredible experience.

Out this week!
Already Home – A Maguire’s Corner Novel by Heather Gardner
Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads
Congratulations, Heather - you rock!

June Movie Preview

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

5 –

Entourage
Movie star Vincent Chase, together with his boys Eric, Turtle, and Johnny, are back - and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold on a risky project that will serve as Vince's directorial debut.
Director: Doug Ellin
Stars: Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon
I’ve never watched the show. Good chance I’ll never watch the movie.



12 –

Jurassic World
Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park (1993), Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. After 10 years of operation and visitor rates declining, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor's interest, which backfires horribly.
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Stars: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Judy Greer
Star Lord battles dinosaurs and a fifty foot tall Rocket – awesome! (And if you didn’t get that, go rent Guardians of the Galaxy this minute!)



19 –

Inside Out
After a girl moves to a new home, her emotions are plunged into chaos as they compete for control of her mind.
Directors: Pete Docter | Ronaldo Del Carmen
Stars: Diane Lane, Rashida Jones, Amy Poehler, Kyle MacLachlan
I want to love Pixar again. I hope this does it.





26 –

Ted 2
Newlywed couple Ted and Tami-Lynn want to have a baby, but in order to qualify to be a parent, Ted will have to prove he's a person in a court of law.
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Morgan Freeman
Foul mouthed Teddy bear wants to have baby with a woman – what’s not to love? (Oh wait, this could be in really bad taste…)

Big Game
A young teenager camping in the woods helps rescue the President of the United States when Air Force One is shot down near his campsite.
Director: Jalmari Helander
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Onni Tommila, Ray Stevenson, Victor Garber
I know it sounds awful! But it’s from the director of Rare Exports, the strangest and most unique Santa Claus film you will ever see.

Going to see RiffTrax? (Go once and you’ll laugh so hard, you’ll never miss another one!) Did you see Mastodon die in Game of Thrones? Picking up Heather’s new book? Any of those movies catch your attention? And what are your writing insecurities today…?

Don’t forget to visit Lynda Young today and Patricia Stoltey on Thursday!

Retro A to Z Challenge: U – Underworld 2003 (plus updates on Godzilla, Jurassic World, and Bioshock Movies)

Underworld – 2003

Released in January, usually the dumping ground for movies, this film was a complete surprise. Following a war between vampires and werewolves, it featured a sexy, leather-clad Kate Beckinsale. (I still want that outfit for my wife. She still says no.) Three sequels have followed (with another in the making), but nothing beats the fun and adventurous original.

2003 fun facts –
*Cost of a new house - $246,300.
*Cost of gas - $1.83
*The Do Not Call Registry was implemented
*The Concorde made its last commercial flight
*Apple launched iTunes, selling ten million songs in the first four months
*The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their first Super Bowl

Movies released –
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions
X2
Finding Nemo
School of Rock
The Italian Job
Elf

Music released –
Rush in Rio (live)
Anthrax – We’ve Come For You All
OSI – The Office of Strategic Influence

Games released –
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

And why is 2003 special?
Because 2003-2004 Angela Brown’s life was wonderful and she was blessed with her daughter, the Chipmunk!

Angela is an author and has a daughter she fondly refers to as the Chipmunk. She helps with several other blogs and publishes books under a second name, Rayven Godchild. Angela is just a delight, and so thoughtful and caring. Find her blog HERE

Three New Books!

Pat Hatt just released three more Tarsier Man books.
Not one, not two – three!
Get the full scoop on all of them at his site.
Congratulations, Pat!

Movie News

The game Bioshock’s road to the big screen seemed doomed. However, JoBlo reported yesterday:
Kotaku has noticed that about a month ago, Sony registered multiple domain names with the words "Bioshock" and "movie" in the URL. While this is far from a confirmation that the movie is back in development, it is definitely intriguing. Unlike specific domain names with subtitles, this clearly has the word "movie" which means we cannot misconstrue it as another video game or other type of project.

Jurassic World News – there may be sequels!
From Blastr:
Director Colin Trevorrow, who takes over the franchise with the upcoming Jurassic World, told the print edition of Empire they’re already eyeing plans for more sequels to this semi-reboot of the franchise.

And in Godzilla News –
From The Epoch Times, a few words from director Gareth Edwards about the time and care that went into designing Godzilla:
He said creating Godzilla–one that appears fresh and original–took about a year. “Forget the giant monsters,” he told them. “If this really happened, it would be a life-changing experience. You have to take it seriously.”
“I grew up watching Spielberg movies,” he said, referring to director Steven Spielberg. “What they did so well — as well as having epic, fantastic spectacle — they made the characters feel real and human. We were trying to do the same thing here.”

Fan of Underworld? Following the talented Angela Brown? Picking up Pat’s books? Think we’ll ever see a Bioshock movie? Do you want more Jurassic World films? As excited as I am for Godzilla next month? And what do you remember best about 2003…?

I’m also at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group website today!