Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Plus Reviews of Kingsman, Night at the Museum III, and Muppets; The Listing Hop; and Ninja 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 TB Markinson, Tamara Narayan, Shannon Lawrence, Stephanie Faris, and Eva E. Solar!

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. Winners will be published in a royalty-paying anthology next year.
If you write speculative fiction, you need to enter!

We are still trying to get the IWSG site listed as one of Writers’ Digest’s Top 100 Best Websites for Writers! Please email them at writersdigest@fwmedia.com, subject line 101 Websites, and suggest the IWSG - http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

Now, from the guy who thought he was done writing…

Last month, I wrote and edited not one, but two short stories for publication! And both are due at the end of this month.

One is for an anthology with the theme of ‘turning points.’ I decided going back to a point before CassaStar began would be a good place for a turning point. That one is over four thousand words and just came back from my critique partners this week.

The second one was an invite from Geekdom House. At their core, they aim to bring together Christians and geeks. This one was to be much shorter, under a thousand words, and involving Christmas. I decided on a contemporary theme with humor and it was a lot of fun to write. I’m polishing it now and will be bugging my critique partners soon.

After writing CassaFate and Dragon’s Destiny, I’m starting to wonder if I shouldn’t focus more on short stories. At least I can crank them out faster than my novels, which is about every eighteen months.

I’ve also been trying an experiment. Randi Lee posted about her success with images for her novel, and I decided to try something along those lines. Since I already had the thirteen graphics for my WhatAreTheKargrandes site, I used those to create images I could Tweet. I started almost two weeks ago and it has made a difference in sales.

Today is this one, if anyone cares to Tweet it for me!

http://www.whatarethekargrandes.com/ Find out in Dragon of the Stars! http://tinyurl.com/pel2mun #scifi #spaceopera

Reviews

Kingsman: The Secret Service
It plays like those old Matt Helm 60’s spy movies, except with gratuitous violence and language.
The whole movie is over the top, which makes it fun because you can’t take any of it seriously.
It is a bit dark and mean spirited, though. And it moved a little slow at times.
Worth a rental if you can stomach the extreme violence.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
The Tablet of Ahkmenrah is corroding, taking away the magic that brings the museum to life, and the group travels to London to stop it.
The third installment is probably the smallest of the stories, but it’s still a lot of fun.
In addition to the regulars (including Robin Williams in his last onscreen role), there are appearances from Ben Kingsley, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Hugh Jackman.
If you enjoyed the first two, you’ll enjoy this one. Worth a rental.

The Muppets
I think Jim Henson is rolling over in his grave right now.
The whole shtick of the Muppets was their wholesome, light-hearted family fun. This show has lost that innocence though. Let me give you some examples. I don’t remember much from the first episode outside of the fact it was dark and depressing. So, let’s look at last week’s episode. This is what you got:
Pot smoking Muppets.
Fozzie bear is a kleptomaniac.
Josh Grobin is sleeping with Miss Piggy. (Yeah, just try to get that one out of your head.)
One Muppet drew a penis on a card and then claimed he could make it a saxophone instead.
Gonzo has a mother. (He has no mother here on earth – he’s an alien, remember?)
The show is trying to be edgy and relative and it lost everything the Muppets stood for in my eyes. Remember, those are some of the same Muppets your kids watch on Sesame Street. Imagine how they will view them now?
This show is a big fail in my book.

Ninja News

Toi Thomas had the most amazing review of CassaStar – she loved it! And she got it. That’s so satisfying for an author.

Despite the rain lately, Dragon and Ninja remain best friends:

If you’ve been thinking about buying Dragon of the Stars but you’re not sure, you can take a sneak peek at the first chapter at Jessica Therrien’s site!

And thanks to everyone for checking in on me. My area received a lot of rain, but unfortunately I was further south due to a band commitment on Sunday. And was there ever flooding! They say this was a thousand year flood for most of South Carolina and I believe it. Prayers for those affected by the flooding.

New Releases:

I’m a Little Green Witch by Kelly Polark
Find it at Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Childhood Fears
Featuring the story The Bear Who Wouldn’t Leave by J.H. Moncrieff

The Christmas Pets and Kisses Boxed Set
Featuring The Vet’s Christmas Pet by J.L. Campbell

The Listing Hop!

The brainchild of Bish Denham to celebrate eight years of blogging. I am helping co-host this blogfest – and it’s beyond simple!

The rules are:
Sign up, grab the banner and make a list.
Keep your list to between 5 and 25 items. You can list whatever you feel like (except for adult type content.)
Post on October 26 and visit fellow participants.
That’s it!

Sign up below:



What are your writer insecurities this month? Submitting to the Anthology Contest? Can you help us make the Best list? Seen either movie or the Muppets? And what list would you create for the Listing Hop?

Snowpiercer Movie Review and Others, Movie Trivia, Blogging Changes, and Ninja News!

Movie Reviews

Snowpiercer

Finally caught this on Direct TV! Set in a future where a failed climate-change experiment kills all life on the planet except for a lucky few who boarded the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe. Directed by Joon-ho Bong who did The Host.

This is a film where you have to buy into the really odd premise in order for it to work. (And I won’t spoil the origins of the Snowpiercer, but it makes more sense than it sounds.)

Visually it’s very impressive. It’s a quirky film, similar to a Terry Gilliam movie with bizarre, colorful characters and surreal settings. It deals with complex moral issues in its own quirky fashion.

Chris Evans is great (and far removed from his Captain America role) along with the rest of the cast.

Once the characters start moving forward on the train, trying to reach the engine, the film is full steam ahead and never lets up.

Recommended.

Robocop

A rather pointless remake. It strips away the social parody that made the original a camp classic and replaces it with a straightforward story that is at times dull and overlong. The special effects are good and the top notch cast does a good job with what they were given. Watch only if you’re really curious.

The Lego Movie

For me, not nearly as good as all the hype. It’s very odd and quirky (which is probably the only way a movie about Legos could work) and when it’s funny, it’s really funny. It’s fairly entertaining and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Watching it once was enough though.

Ninja News

Huge music news – Pink Floyd will release The Endless River in October, their first studio album in twenty years. Most of this material was recorded at the same time as The Division Bell, but there will be additional work and a tour is rumored. (Considering the surviving members are around seventy years old, a tour would be impressive.)

Vanessa Morgan’s other blog, Traveling Cats, was featured in this month's issue of Your Cat.

Epic contests through Audiomachine and more – design a t-shirt or book trailer, write a steampunk series, and numerous other opportunities! Visit Samantha Redstreake Geary for details.


New books-

Glitch of a Witch by Pat Hatt

Words on Birds by Kelly Polark

The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier

Cryostorm by Lynn Rush



And Jo Wake had a short story published in the Indie-Pendence Day Anthologies Book 1. She claims she had help and it will be her only short story ever, but I bet we can coax her into writing more, don’t you?

Movie Trivia Returns!

Name those characters -

1 – The four Pevensie children from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

2 – The four Ghostbusters

3 – The five captains from the five Star Trek series

4 – The nine crew members of the Serenity from Firefly

5 – The Fellowship of the Nine from LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring

Answers next Monday!

Changes in Blogging

Last week, Karen Jones Gowen posted about the trouble with blogging, and Denise Covey followed up with her own post.

They covered a lot of stuff and I won’t rehash any of it here. Go read their posts instead. But I will say I’ve been around long enough that I’ve seen many changes and new trends appear. (Things such as fewer people following back and more promotional stuff.)

I’d like to make adjustments to my own blog. I still want to share news and have guest posts, but fewer cover reveals and stuff like that. Get back to more of the movie-music-games-science fiction-geek stuff. As I told Denise, it’s been ages since I did any trivia. Ages!

And maybe a little more stuff about me. Perhaps even a snippet of me playing guitar. Or even small joys like the email I received yesterday from a blogger buddy that involved each of us being a blessing to the other. (Unless you don’t want more of me, especially as I’m the last thing I want to talk about!)

If you read those posts or think things are changing, chime in below with your thoughts.
Seen any of those movies and what did you think? Picking up some new books? Know any of the trivia? (Even just the first name?) And what changes have you seen in blogging or do you plan to make?

Insecure Writer’s Support Group and Contest! Plus Gifts for Your Geek, Dream Destination Blog Hop, and Ninja 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.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is also holding a contest! Visit today for details – lots of great giveaways.

My awesome co-hosts today are Julie Flanders, Heather Gardner, Kim Van Sickler, and Elsie is Writing. Please be sure to thank them for their time and effort to make all IWSG members feel welcome.

I’m in the process of revising my outline yet again. (Yes, I take longer on the outline than I ever do writing the book.) One of my test readers read through it, had some questions, and offered some ideas. So I’m working on details and making some changes. I’ll probably do this several more times and maybe run the outline past one of my critique partners before I get to a place where I am happy with the storyline.

I still won’t be ready to start writing it though, because next will be research and world building. And a tremendous amount of both!

To make this story work, I’m going to have to do a lot of world building, and far more than I’ve ever done in the past. With the elements I’m including in the story, the world building will have to be on every level. I’m going to have to research sea kelp. Sea kelp! (Yes, sea kelp in a space opera – I have you intrigued now, don’t I?)

What started as a simple idea has grown into a complex beast. I wasn’t even going to write another book. Now I’ve gone and tackled a monster. Not sure what I was thinking. Not sure I’m prepared to handle this either.

Anyone else ever do this to himself?

And any sea kelp experts out there? I’ll let you use the cloning machine in exchange…

Geeky Gifts!

If you’re still looking for that certain gift for the special geek in your life, or for yourself, check out a site called Geek Alerts.

Here is a sampling:

Firefly Serenity Spaceship Ornament available from Entertainment Earth for $9.98.
I’ll take ten, thanks!

The Walking Dead Daryl Crossbow Coffee Mug $27.99 from Amazon.

Dr Who Cybernetics Kit at Firebox for £24.99 with free delivery.

This one came from Uncommon Goods, and I instantly thought of Tina at Life is Good because the Engineer could probably make it:

Mason Jar Speaker-Amplifier This speaker-in-a-jar is completely self-contained, so you can bring it on-the-go with you for impromptu dance parties, and can hook it up to your personal music player or electronic instrument. Its size is small but its sound is big. $65.00

Ninja News

Toi Thomas’ book, Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel, comes out on February 18, 2014. There is a giveaway and a pre-order special though, so check it out. Congratulations, Toi!

The next installment of Hart Johnson’s series is now available – Travel Plans. Congratulations, Hart!

Kelly Polark’s latest, Hold the Mustard, is now available. Congratulations, Kelly!

Dream Destination Blog Hop

Lexa Cain and Julie Flanders are hosting the Dream Destination Blog Hop December 5-8. Since I won’t be posting again until December 9, here is my entry.

If I could go anywhere in the world, where would I go?

New Zealand!

The country is stunningly beautiful. The scenery offers an amazing variety, especially considering the size of the two islands. And no poisonous snakes or spiders! Big plus in my book. Lord of the Rings was filmed there, and I confess I’d also want to see all the film locations.

Of course, if I could go somewhere that wasn’t real, I’d visit the Cassan universe. Why? One word – teleportation! Yes, I’d need a Cassan to accompany me and do all the jumping, but it would be awesome.

All right, I’m waiting – teleport me on over!

Excited about the new books? See a geeky gift you want? Anyone else tackling a project that just might be too massive? And where is your dream destination...?

Be sure to check the Insecure Writer’s Support Group for the contest and to visit other participants!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D! Plus October Movie Preview, Ninja News, Christy Dorrity’s The Awakening, and a Farscape Character That Nearly Bit the Dust

I am flying high today and set for Cruising Altitude 2.0! That’s right, I am visiting DL Hammons today, the mastermind behind Write Club and the Blog Blitz. I’m talking about the Pros and Cons of Writing a Book Series, so check it out.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

For those of you who missed it, the season premier was awesome! Directed by Joss Whedon himself, it had everything you enjoyed about the Avengers. Entertainment Weekly has already viewed the next few episodes, and while not directed by Whedon, they are just as good.

The show’s strong point is its humor and more shows could learn from its example. S.H.I.E.L.D. proved you could have drama and action AND humor. It’s the perfect balance. Shows like Stargate Universe fail because they are too damn depressing. A little humor and hope goes a long way.

Yes, I am hooked and can’t wait until next week’s show!

Ninja News

Anne at O’Leary Minatures is holding her Double Triple Secret Give Away! This give away is being sponsored in part by author Patrick Hatt at It’s Rhyme Time. You can find Mr. Hatt's Amazon Writers Page HERE. Lots of cool prizes including a $50.00 Amazon gift card. Winners will be announced October 1.

Rusty Webb released a book recently – and didn’t tell anyone! My Killbot Buddy is now available – ‘An Epic Tale of an Old Man and His Killer Robot.’ The dude is an awesome writer, so pick it up!

Jennifer Lane’s latest was released this week - On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3) Congratulations, Jennifer!


Sarah Allen posted something for inspiration - What Movies You Should Watch features random movie trailers all the time. Awesome!

Kelly Polark’s Rockabet: Classic Edition came out this week. Kelly is one rockin’ chick!


Julie Dao posted some awesome writing and publishing tips from Wool author, Hugh Howey.

Cate Masters’ Sweet Revenge is out today! Congratulations, Cate.

Don’t forget the The Norse Gods Blogfest.is October 9! I’m co-hosting with the awesome Siv in celebration of her book, Secrets of the Ash Tree, and her birthday. Sign up HERE

My awesome co-hosts for the October 2 posting of the IWSG will be Julie Luek, Rachna Chabria, Beverly Fox, and Ilima Todd! And there will be a major announcement next Wednesday – stay tuned!

Special Release

Awakening: Book One of The Geis by Christy Dorrity

. . . because some Celtic stories won’t be contained in myth.

A thrilling debut novel based in Celtic mythology, Awakening is a gripping young adult fantasy rife with magic, romance, and mystery.

Find Awakening - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads

Christy Dorrity lives in the mountains with her husband, five children, and a cocker spaniel. She grew up on a trout ranch in Star Valley, Wyoming, and is the author of The Geis series for young adults, and The Book Blogger’s Cookbooks. Christy is a champion Irish dancer and when she’s not reading or writing, she’s probably trying out a new recipe in the kitchen.
Find Christy - Blog, Facebook, and Twitter

October Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming movies for October! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

4 –

Gravity
A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen
Already a big Oscar buzz for Bullock – a must see!



11 –

Captain Phillips
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.
Director: Paul Greengrass
Stars: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed
Another film with Oscar buzz.

Machete Kills
The U.S. government recruits Machete to battle his way through Mexico in order to take down an arms dealer who looks to launch a weapon into space.
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Danny Trejo, Alexa Vega, Mel Gibson, Jessica Alba
I won’t go see it, but I will check it out on NetFlix – just because!



15 –

DVD – Pacific Rim
Giant robots versus giant monsters at home in 3D – oh yeah!

22 –

DVD – The Conjuring
If you missed it in theaters, be sure to check it out!

The Final Word…

Blastr listed eleven TV characters who were going to die until fans fell in love with them. One of them was Chiana from Farscape. She was only to last a couple episodes, but fans and the writers liked her quirkiness and she stuck around for the entire series. (Did I mention she was also sexy?)

Did you watch S.H.I.E.L.D? See some good books to pick up? Ready for the IWSG next month? Any of the October movies excite you? And what if Chiana hadn’t survived…?

Be sure to visit DL at Cruising Altitude 2.0!

The Anti-Blogfest Gary Fest and Elysium Movie Review! Plus CK Reader Giveaway, Ninja News, Book to Movie Trivia Answers, and Mini-Alex at the Beach

Today is the Anti-Blogfest Gary Fest!

But first…

Ciara Knight has created the CK Reader Giveaway, and I have the honor of being the first author! Featured on both CK Readers Giveaway on Facebook and on her BLOG. it’s a mixture of my journey with the series and quotes from the books. And there are prizes! Check it out.

Vacation was great, although I did miss you guys! Especially after such an awesome IWSG. But the wife and I enjoyed ourselves and yes, we took Mini-Alex to the beach.

He was impressed but not crazy about the sand. Gritty sand and Ninja outfits don’t mix. It was also hot, which is why he left the scarf at home.

Ninja News

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group was a huge success last week! Special thanks to my co-hosts, M. Pax, Karen Walker, and Melissa Maygrove. I couldn’t have done it without you, ladies.

Here is the official prize package for my CassaStorm announcement blitz the third week of September! (Mousepad, mug, swag, and $25 iTunes gift card.) Sign up to help me spread the word HERE. You can leave a question or just your name.

Julia King’s book is out today - Félicité Found. She’s also on tour, so check it out. Congratulations, Julia!

Kelly Polark revealed the cover for her September release, Rockabet. Congratulations, Kelly!

Book to Movie Trivia Answers

Movie - Book

1 – Carlito’s Way 1993 – After Hours by Edwin Torres 1979
2 – Manhunter 1986 – Red Dragon by Thomas Harris 1981
3 – Vertigo 1958 – The Living and the Dead by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac 1954 (US title, originally Dentre les morts)
4 – Silver Bullet 1986 – Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King 1983
5 – Taps 1981 – Father Sky by Edward Streeter 1949

Movie Review

Elysium
In a dystopian future, Matt Damon is trying to reach Elysium, a paradise orbiting Earth.
While not an original storyline, it’s at least not a remake! It’s gritty with a similar feel as District 9. (Both directed by Neill Blomkamp.) It’s grounded in reality yet the ships and weapons were futuristic. Damon does a great job carrying the film. I was caught in the story and enjoyed the ride.
I did have problems with a few plot points and some things didn’t quite track. The usually solid Jodie Foster played a one-dimensional character with a weird accent. The have-nots were genuine, caring people while the haves were stock cardboard cutouts.
Hard-core science fiction fans, go support it – otherwise, it’s a good rental.

Anti-Blogfest Gary Fest

A blog hop in honor of Mr. anti-blog hop himself, Gary at Klahanie. He's the best Anti-Challenge Spokesperson ever!

Hosted by Mark “Madman” Koopmans, Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, “Life is Good” Tina, Rockin’ Robyn Engel and Morgan “The Morg” Shamy.

The rules are *very* simple. Create the titles of three PG-13 rated blogfests you would never join - and then add a descriptive sentence or two.

Blogfests I would never join:

Best SyFy Channel Original Films
Counting down from crap to craptactular!

Weirdest Places I’ve Thrown Up Blogfest
If only you knew where I’ve spewed!

My Favorite Urinal Cake Flavors Blogfest
That’s not lemon!

Go ahead and join the fun!



Excited about the new books? Sign up to help with CassaStorm? (Five more weeks!) Get any of the trivia correct? Did you see Elysium? And what blogfests would you never join…?

Be sure to check out the CK Reader Giveaway!

A to Z Challenge - K (and Critique Partners)

For the A to Z Challenge, I am featuring some awesome bloggers. These individuals have offered so much support of my book, CassaStar, and me on my blogger journey. Of course, I’ll be keeping up with the world of movies, music, and pop culture stuff as well! Ninjas are just talented that way...


Kelly Polark
Kelly is a delight! In every picture, there’s that big, beautiful smile, and her joy bubbles over into every post and comment. Need a shot of happiness? Want to hear her sing? Visit Kelly today!


I want to thank everyone who answered my call for critique partners. Clarissa, Ellie, Stephanie, and Matthew, I really appreciate your offers. And any of you who need a first chapter critique – Clarissa is powerful! She’ll whip your work into shape in a heartbeat.

After much debating and deep Ninja thoughts (those hurt!), my new critique parters are Jeffrey at World of the Scribe and Rusty at Blutonian Death Egg. Jeffrey has a great sense of where I’m going with my words, and Rusty knows how to catch things I miss. Plus the dude has a great sense of humor – I about died laughing while reading his critique comments!

And Anne at Piedmont Writer will be helping me with the relationship stuff. (Translation – the man/woman stuff!) She’s a fantastic writer – I’m in awe of her use of language in her Regency romance. (And yes, this Ninja DOES know the difference between Regency romance and the Hyatt Regency.) Thanks guys!