CassaSeries, Jurassic World Review, RiffTrax on At Midnight, Movie Trivia, and Ninja News

I’m back from vacation! Did you miss me?

Today I am visiting Karen Lange with outlining tips and how to avoid a messy first draft.

CassaSeries

My publisher has put my Cassa books into an eBook boxed set and it is slated for release June 22, 2015! You can pre-order it now.

CassaSeries
By Alex J. Cavanaugh
ISBN 9781939844118
Price - $5.99
Science fiction/adventure (FIC028010) and science fiction/space opera (FIC028030)
Find it here – Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Goodreads

Movie Review -Jurassic World

The fourth installment starts with a theme park built on the same island as Jurassic Park, complete with a main street, petting zoo, rides, and thousands of visitors. All havoc breaks loose when a deadly hybrid dinosaur escapes.

Let’s face it – no matter what they do, they will never capture the magic that was Jurassic Park. Yes, the park is now a functioning theme park, the special effects are great, and the new dinosaurs are fearsome. But the genie is already out of the bottle…

Chris Pratt is the best part of the film as a kick-butt raptor trainer. He proves he can lead films and do a diversity of roles.

While it’s always fun to return to the Jurassic world, and who doesn’t dig seeing dinosaurs running around, this film did have issues and some plot holes. It shouldn’t be a leave your brain at the door kind of film, but if you’re going to enjoy it, you’ll have to.

My biggest issue was a lack of contingencies should one of the dinosaurs escape. They said the hybrid had an implant that would zap her if she got to close to the main park, and yet other escaping dinosaurs seemed to lack this. Plus with this kind of park, there should be more backup than a few guys with tranquilizers.

My other issues was with the sphere ride and how riders could just take the ball anywhere. Now, I’ve been to enough theme parks to know that almost all rides are on tracks and the rider does not control anything. Letting patrons roam around the valley as long as they wanted with really big dinosaurs around seemed like a bad idea. (And it was.)

There were numerous other issues I won’t go into, like flat characters and plot details that went nowhere.

I really wanted to love this film, especially after seeing the good reviews, but I’d have to place it as my third favorite behind Jurassic Park and The Lost World. It was better than the third, but not by a lot.

Leave brain at door and watch just for the big dinosaurs and Chris Pratt.

RiffTrax on At Midnight with Chris Hardwick

The RiffTrax guys – Mike, Kevin, and Bill – appeared on the show on June 9. It’s a ‘game show’ that has contestants coming up with funny lines to go with situations, images, and hashtags.

It was the first time those three had been on Comedy Central since Mystery Science Theater 3000 was cancelled.

And it was hilarious!

Mike had some of the best one-liners:

#worstrealityshow – Are You Taller Than a Fifth Grader?

Scene with teen boys running into villain in an S&M mask – Oh no, we wandered into Andy Dick’s backyard!

The host mentioned he couldn’t hear Kevin’s voice without picturing Tom Servo. When Kevin offered a very raunchy one-liner, Chris said that had erased the image forever.

Bill won the game with a line that I can't really repeat here...

Watch it streaming at Hulu

Ninja News

There is a huge giveaway of adult and young adult books happening this week! It starts Tuesday, and a couple of my books are included. See Jessica Therrien’s site for a full list and to enter. Open until June 30.

Available Now -
Roses Are Red by JB Kantt
Buy it at Amazon US and Amazon UK

Movie Trivia

Answers from last week:
1 - This 1975 movie with Doug McClure took place during WWI and involved a German sub finding a place called Caprona. The Land That Time Forgot 
2 – This 1969 film was half Western and involved a T-Rex. The Valley of Gwangi
3 – This 1988 animated film spawned many, many sequels. The Land Before Time
4 – This 1997 movie involved two groups of people with different agendas on an island with dinosaurs. The Lost World
5 – This 1993 film was produced by Roger Corman, spawned two sequels, and starred Diane Ladd. Carnosaur

This week, an easy one – name the monster or creature in these films:

1 – Hellraiser 1997
2 – Reign of Fire 2002
3 – Near Dark 1987
4 – Lake Placid 1999
5 – Battleship 2012
6 – Deep Blue Sea 1999

Answers next Monday!

Did you see Jurassic World this past weekend? Anyone catch the RiffTrax guys on At Midnight? Get any of the trivia right? Know the monsters this week? And anyone want to help me announce the release of the CassaSeries trilogy next week?

Don’t forget to visit Karen Lange!

M Pax’s Favorite Astronomizing Moments, WALL-E and ET Pumpkins, Ninja News, Monster Trivia Answers, and Mini-Alex!

I’m visiting fellow science fiction author, Sandra Ulbrich Almazan, and answering a few questions about myself, my creative process, and words of wisdom. (Don’t laugh at that last one…)

M. Pax is here today to discuss her best moments as a star guide!

Best Moments of Astronomizing

September 27th was the end of my 6th summer as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory. Despite the growing light pollution from an expanding population in Central Oregon, we still have relatively dark skies – skies that let us view the Milky Way in all its starry glory. Glorious it is. It never fails to awe me and make my heart race. Here are some of my favorite moments:

1. Discovery. Every time I find an object, it’s as thrilling as the first time. I don’t use a computer. I use star charts and an electronics-free telescope. When I started, my astronomy friends taught me how to point at Jupiter. It and the Moon were my entire repertoire. Now I can find a hundred objects.

2. My favorite summer object: M24. It’s a densely packed star field – a star cloud – above Sagittarius. It fills my eyepiece with stars. It’s stunning. Overall, the Orion nebula is my favorite [winter object].

3. Giving Robert his life’s dream. Robert visited a few summers ago. He told me it was his life’s dream to see a nebula. I gave showed him five then told him he needed a new life’s dream, because 9 was way too young to be done with that sort of thing.

4. Showing kids how to use my telescope and letting them. “Come see my star,” they like to say. Awesome.

5. Being able to give a person in a wheelchair a tour of the night sky. It was possible with my Dobsonian.

Yeah, most of my triumphs have to do with giving someone a special night, one made of stars and dreams. It’s the most awesome job, and that joy is what I’m paid. I can’t wait until next summer.

M. Pax-- Inspiring the words she writes, she spends her summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in stunning Central Oregon where she lives with the Husband Unit and two demanding cats. She writes science fiction and fantasy mostly. You can find out more by visiting her at: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Wattpad

Find Beyond the Edge: Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and Kobo

Ninja News

Doralynn Kennedy’s Spiders comes out today. Congratulations, Doralynn!

Karen Lange’s Homeschool Co-ops 101 is now available! Buy it at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Congratulations, Karen!

Nigel Mitchell’s latest is now available – Six Guns of Madness. Purchase it at Amazon. Congratulations, Nigel!

Cover Reveal

THE BOY WHO LOVED FIRE, by Julie Musil
Release date – January 2014
Add to Goodreads

Manny O’Donnell revels in his status at the top of his high school food chain…

Julie Musil is the author of YA fiction. As the mother of three teen boys, she’s immersed in teen speak, drama, and gym socks. She loves to chat--just ask her Super Supportive Hubby, the guy with the glazed eyes. Connect with Julie on Facebook, Twitter, or her blog.

Monster Movie Trivia Answers 

1 – Ginger Snaps 2000 - Werewolf
2 – Them! 1954 - Giant Ants
3 – Tremors 1990 - Graboids
4 – Dead Alive 1992 - Zombies
5 – Near Dark 1987 - Vampires
6 – Mimic 1997 - Insects

Mini-Alex and the Cassa Poster

I’m always envious of the prizes you guys win. This time however, my publisher sent me one of them – the Cassa Universe poster!

And Mini-Alex was very happy…

More Cool Halloween Pumpkins

From EgoTV Online - visit the site for even more!

Every viewed the stars from an observatory? Excited about the new books? Get any of the trivia right? And did you carve a pumpkin this year…?

Be sure to visit Sandra Ulbrich Almazan!

Special Thanks and News! Plus New Thor Poster, Comedy Movie Trivia, Ninja News, and Bizarre Photo

Today I am a guest of Mathew Bridle’s at The One Saga! Stop by to read my short interview.

Special Thanks and Fun News!

A big thanks to everyone who made the two-year anniversary of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group special! It was truly amazing and I’m glad everyone is excited about the upcoming website.
A big round of thanks to my co-hosts - Chemist Ken, SL Hennessy, Michelle Wallace, and Joylene Nowell Butler. You guys rocked it!
And special thanks to Elizabeth Seckman - her post was touching and funny. Elizabeth, honored to be your friend.

Sometime this week I slipped over 1900 followers through GFC. Whoa, thanks guys! I appreciate every single one of you. (There’s a slew of followers through Linky Followers, Google+, RSS Feed, and other readers like Feedly, so no idea just how many follow me now…)

I’m also now a Suvudu Preferred Poster, which is really cool

All in all, an awesome week!

Ninja News

Karen Lange’s book is now available – Homeschool Co-opts 101. If you homeschool your kids, check it out. Congratulations, Karen!

The first installment of A Shot in the Light, an Apocalypse Conspiracy Tale by Hart Johnson is available now! And there were some great entries in her blogfest yesterday. Congratulations, Hart!

Jai Joshi just released Bhishma, Son of Ganga. Congratulations, Jai!

Liesel Hill’s new book is out, Dark Remnants, and it’s 99 cents on Amazon for a limited time. Congratulations, Liesel!

Isis Rushdan revealed the cover for her next book – Protector of the Flame. Looks cool, Isis!



And Lynn Rush is running a marathon to raise money to fight cancer! Check her site for details on how you can help.

Movie Trivia

Comedy today! Name the movie from the quote:

1 – “When someone asks if you are a god, you say YES!”

2 – “You made a woman meow?”

3 – “What is the matter with you? I thought Mothers were sweet and nice a-a-and patient. I know loan sharks who are more forgiving than you. Your husband ain't dead, lady. He's hiding.”

4 – “He’s an angry elf.”

5 – “Eddie, Eddie, I swear to God, don't start with me or so help me, I will shoot him and dump him in a ___ swamp!”

6 – “I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank piña coladas. At sunset, we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get *that* day over, and over, and over... “

Answers on Monday!

Cool New Movie Poster and Bizarre Image

Caught this over at JoBlo’s site - a new Thor: The Dark World poster featuring the villain, Malekith.

And from Blastr - this bizarre image of a Planet of the Apes float in the 1975 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

That’s right folks – you can’t make this stuff up!

Everyone enjoy the IWSG posts this week and the news of the website? Excited about the new books? Know any of the movie trivia? Excited about Thor: The Dark World? Anyone else seeing Riddick this weekend? Don’t forget to visit The One Saga!

Monday kicks off my official CassaStorm tour and it involves some snarky cats. Bet you’re intrigued now…

Ninja News, Movie Trivia, Wednesday Movie Quote, and the Secondary Characters Blogfest!

Ninja News

Helping Oklahoma-
Shelly Arkon is donating all royalties from her book, Secondhand Shoes, to the Red Cross for the next three months. Visit her site for purchase links.
EJ Wesley posted a lot of links to places you can donate to help as well.

Marcy at Maine Words signed a deal with WiDo Publishing for her book Paradise. Congratulations, Marcy!

Jeffrey Beesler’s next book will be out soon and he revealed the cover art for Optical Osmosis yesterday. It rocks, Jeffrey!



Karen Lange just signed a book deal with Helping Hands Press for her homeschoolers book. Congratulations, Karen!

To celebrate the release of her second novel, Aberration on June 6, 2013, Lisa Regan is hosting The Aberration Blog Hop: Finding the Most Aberrant Characters. Prizes are involved!

Roland Yeomans’ book, The Bear with Two Shadows, is now available as an audio book! Congratulations, Roland! Now we can hear Hibbs in stereo…

Don’t forget the Get Healthy Bloghop next Wednesday, hosted by Stephen Tremp, L. Diane Wolfe, Michael Di Gesu, and myself!

Wednesday Movie Quote

Post your favorite here or play along on your own blog.

Today’s genre is sports movies.

Mine comes from Major League. (Censored for obvious reasons!)

Coach - “Nice catch, Hayes. Don’t ever f_____ do it again.”

Next week – apocalyptic films!

Movie Trivia!

Because I haven’t done any trivia since the Challenge.

Name the director:

1 – Goodfellas – 1990

2 – Empire of the Sun – 1987

3 – The Fifth Element – 1997

4 – Unforgiven – 1992

5 – Contact - 1997

Answers on Friday!

Secondary Characters Blogfest

Hosted by Rachel Schieffelbein and (several co-hosts) in celebration of her upcoming book, Secondary Characters. (Available May 28.)

I had several ideas for great secondary characters, including Lt. D’Agosta from Preston and Child’s Agent Pendergast series. But I decided to go with the best secondary characters ever created:

The cast of Serenity/Firefly!

The cast revolves around Mal. The show is all about him, his ship, his past, and the side he chose during the war. And what a great bunch of secondary characters:
Zoe – Second in command and a devoted, level-headed fighter.
Wash – Skilled pilot and comic relief.
Inara – Companion and romantic tension.
Kaylee – Mechanic and the sweet soul of the crew.
Jayne – Hired gun who is blunt and looking out for number one.
Simon – Skilled doctor and overprotective brother of River.
River – Child prodigy and just a bit unstable.
Book – Shepherd and the moral compass of the crew.
Throw them all together with a captain who aims to misbehave and you have one heck of a show!
And one more time for the record – curse you, FOX!

Excited about all the cool book news? Ready for the Get Healthy Blogfest? (Or in desperate need?) What’s your favorite sports movie quote? Know any of the directors? And who is your favorite secondary character?

I have something really cool planned for Friday!

Ode to Sharktopus, Ninja News, CassaStorm Update, and October Movie Preview!

Two years ago, Sharktopus escaped the deluded minds at the SyFy Channel and attacked the viewing public with a vengeance. I braved this Saturday night Craptastic film and brought to you a play-by-play of the disaster. To celebrate this most auspicious occasion, I am guest posting at Lee’s blog, Tossing it Out, with a tribute called Sharktopus: A Love Story, as well as the original play-by-play in its entirety. If you’re in need of a good laugh today, go pay Tossing it Out a visit!

Ninja News!

Thanks to everyone who visited Karen at Write Now earlier this week for my take on what makes a blog successful. Really appreciated the awesome comments!

Jeffrey Beesler is hosting a giveaway for his latest book, Speed Demons, through September 27 – visit his site for details!

In case you missed it, Ciara Knight and I are hosting the Did I Notice Your Book Blogfest on October 17. Join us in highlighting a special book you’ve noticed lately.

Special cover reaveal!

The Big Smoke by Cally Jackson Coming in October 2012

Ceara’s desperate for love; Seb’s desperate to get laid. Two strangers, both moving from small country towns to Brisbane for uni. Will they survive life in the big smoke or crumble under the pressure?

Find the book on Goodreads

And find Cally at: Blog, Twitter, and Goodreads.

CassaStorm Progress!

Monday night I finished revisions and sent CassaStorm off to my awesome critique partners, Rusty, Jeffrey, and Cassie Mae! I let one of my test readers (who rocks with dialogue) attack it first and he also had some good suggestions for slight plot changes. So four months to create the outline, two months to write the first draft, and two months of editing and mutilating. At the moment it’s clocking in at 82,000 words, which is a record for me. Now it’s in my critique partners’ hands. Let the carnage begin…

October Movie Preview!

Here are the upcoming releases for October. Not a great selection, but I did the best I could with the list. As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

5 -

Taken 2
In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter.
Director: Olivier Megaton
Stars: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Rade Serbedzija
The only that could make this better if it was called Taken 2: Electric Boogaloo!

Frankenweenie
Young Victor conducts a science experiment to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life, only to face unintended, sometimes monstrous, consequences.
Director: Tim Burton
Stars: Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Landau, Christopher Lee
Didn’t we already see this?




12 -

Sinister
Found footage helps a true-crime novelist realize how and why a family was murdered in his new home, though his discoveries put his entire family in the path of a supernatural entity.
Director: Scott Derrickson
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone, Vincent D'Onofrio
The preview isn’t scary, but every reviewer says this is terrifying. Not sure who to believe…


19 -

Alex Cross
A detective is told that a member of his family has been murdered. He vows to track down the killer.
Director: Rob Cohen
Stars: Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, Rachel Nichols, Edward Burns
Terry Perry IS Alex Ninja! Wait, that’s not right…




26 –

Cloud Atlas
An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.
Directors: Tom Tykwer | Andy Wachowski | Lana Wachowski
Stars: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving
Directed by the former Wachowski Brothers. Now the Wachowski Brother and Sister. Don’t make me explain…

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D
When her father disappears, Heather Mason is drawn into a strange and terrifying alternate reality that holds answers to the horrific nightmares that have plagued her since childhood.
Director: Michael J. Bassett
Stars: Sean Bean, Radha Mitchell, Carrie-Anne Moss, Kit Harington
First one had great atmosphere and creepy visuals. Let’s hope this one also has a good story.


Ready for a good laugh this morning? (Hopefully not from my critique partners – that would be bad.) Excited about the news and new books? Signed up for the blogfest? Did you pick up The Avengers on Tuesday? I got my 3D copy! And what movies are you excited about next month?

Don’t forget to visit Tossing it Out for my sendoff to Sharktopus!

And the Ninja will be gone this weekend, so no post on Friday. Wife and I are both playing hooky. I will be lurking…

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!