A to Z Challenge – L – Cult Classics: Legend, Living Color, Logan’s Run, and More! Plus Birdman Review and New Releases

A to Z Challenge – Cult Classics – L

Movies-Music-Sci-fi Book-Bloggers-Dragon Term

Movie –

Legend
Directed by Ridley Scott, this surreal fantasy harkens back to darker fairy tales. There is a director’s cut and the original USA theatrical release which features haunting music by Tangerine Dream.

Music –

Living Color – Vivid
This album debuted in 1988 and went Double Platinum, with the song Cult of Personality winning a Grammy.

Science Fiction Book –

Logan’s Run - William F. Nolan and George Clayton
Written by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, this dystopian story spawned two more books, a movie, a television series, a comic book series, and more.

Bloggers –

LD Masterson
Like a dose of humor every Wednesday with jokes and funny photos? Enjoy connecting with someone with a pure heart? Then LD is your lady!

Liza at Middle Passages
Want to witness the journey of writer through various stages of life? Enjoy beautiful photos from the seaside of Maine? Then you need to connect with this wonderful poet and special lady.

Liesel K. Hill at Musings on Fantasia
Enjoy thrillers, historicals, and science fiction from a multi-genre author? Enjoy Top Ten Tuesday, Feature & Follow, and the Walking Dead? Then you need to connect with the awesome Liesel!

Dragon of the Stars Term –

Lieutenant
Every ship in the Hyrathian fleet has one or more lieutenants on board. On the smaller ships, the lieutenant is second in command to the captain. On the larger battleships, a Lt. commander is second in command. That is Aden Pendar’s rank when the story opens.

Dragon of the Stars is out now!

Check out the site What Are the Kargrandes? for clues as to how they tie into the story.

New Releases!

Entwined by Cherie Colyer
Book 3 of the Embrace series

Only a few months after embracing her magical powers, defeating a dark witch at her high school, and banishing a faerie prince back to his realm, sixteen-year-old Madison Riley is back in book three of the Embrace series—and doing the bidding of a demon.

Find Entwined here - Amazon, Amazon UK, and Goodreads

Beware the Little White Rabbit anthology
Includes a short story by Medeia Sharif - Mustang Alice
And a short story by C Lee McKenzie

Movie Review

Birdman

From the IMDB: A washed-up actor, who once played an iconic superhero, battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career and himself in the days leading up to the opening of his Broadway play.

This Oscar Best Picture winner was very unique. The long stretches of single shots are spectacular to watch. There are very few cuts, so the actors had to get multiple scenes right the first try. That’s impressive.

It does have some really funny lines, including the worst way to describe a relationship ever. (Said by a woman, which made it all the funnier.)

This film will make you feel better about yourself as almost all of the characters are complete train wrecks. Or one hot mess. Either way, you’ll be grateful you’re in a much better place and not so screwed up.

I admired this film, but can’t say I loved it. Like a train wreck, it was fascinating to watch. And once was enough.

Recommended if you enjoy thinking ‘What the heck did I just watch?’

Have you seen Legend and which version, USA or European? Fan of Living Color or Logan’s Run? Following those awesome bloggers? Picking up Cherie’s latest? And have you seen Birdman and what did you think…?

If you missed it yesterday, I visited Literary Rambles!

The Complicated Writing Life! Plus Who’s Your Hero Blogfest, Scary Places, Death Star Pumpkin, and Ninja News

Today I welcome friend and fellow author, Liesel Hill!

Complications I Wish Were Part of my Writing Life

As a writer, life is never complex, right? There’s always plenty of time to do what needs to get done, plenty of opportunity to complete our running list of tasks, plenty of “us” time on top of everything else life throws at us. Right? So, here are some complications I wish I could add to my busy writing life:

1) I wish I didn’t have all day to write. I wish I had to work a day job that would significantly cut into my writing time and complicate my thought processes.

Oh, wait. I do!

2) I wish I didn’t have the ability to isolate myself from the world to write. I wish there were other people, especially children, bursting in, whining, needing things, or just being cute and pulling me away from my work.

Oh, wait. There are!

3) I wish there were other things that needed to be done on top of my writing. You know, errands, housework, food preparation, just the jumble of day to day living to take away from my precious writing time.

Oh, wait. There is!

4) I wish writing didn’t come easily to me. I wish that I often had to slave for hours over the keyboard, then scrap everything and start over. I wish I had to write, re-write, and re-write again so many times it made my head spin.

Oh, wait. I do!

5) I wish publication weren’t such an easy process. I wish it was something I had to work for, honing my craft for years without any real guarantee of traditional success.

Oh, wait. It is!

So, why do we do it? Why do we novelists continue to churn out book after book when most of the world would have quite two pages in?

Because we just. Freakin’. Love it.

Happy writing everyone! May this coming holiday season complicate the heck out of your writing life! :D

I’ve recently put out book 2 of my dystopian series, Quantum Entanglement as well as book 1 of a new crime drama series, entitled Dark Remnants. Both are $0.99 for a limited time!

Ninja News

Thanks to everyone who sent out messages on Facebook and Twitter for W4WS on Monday! I really appreciate it.

Don’t forget to sign up for the How I Miss You blogfest on November 8.

Sean McLachlan won the 2013 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, taking the gold in the Personal Comment category for his article Video Games with a Refugee, part of his Iraq travel series on the Gadling travel blog. Congratulations, Sean!

Rachel Schieffelbein and her horse won this past weekend – they are the Arabian and Half-Arabian US Nationals Champion. Congratulations, Rachel!


Want to see some creepy places? Check out Roland Yeomans’ POST and read about the abandoned amusement park, the Winchester Mystery House, and the Suicide Forest.

CassaStorm is on Goodreads’ Best Space Opera list, feeling lonely at the bottom. Mini-Alex would be really happy to see it closer to CassaStar and CassaFire, which are at the top!

Amazing Pumpkin Carving!

From Urlesque:

Who’s Your Hero Blogfest

JL Campbell is celebrating the release of her novel, Saving Sam, which coincides with National Heroes’ Day celebrations in Jamaica. She’s asked us to write about our source of inspiration.

I’m fortunate to have so many amazing people in my life. My parents are heroes. So is my wife. And so are many of you. All of the struggles you face, and yet you continue to push for your dreams. It’s very inspiring.

If I have to name just one though, I’d choose the person who has given me the most inspiration and peace in my life. As a born-again Christian, my Lord and Savior is my hero, and Jesus sets the most incredible example. I want to display the same loving and servant heart He possesses. I’ll never measure up, but He gives me a standard to aim for.

Who is your hero?

Do you wish for any of those things Liesel listed? Sign up for the blogfest? Check out the creepy places? Dig the pumpkin? And who is your hero?

Storm Continues – Space Opera Basics at Mithril Wisdom! Plus Launch Recap, CassaFacts, CassaTrivia, and Ninja News

Today’s tour stop is with the awesome Jamie at Mithril Wisdom! I met Jamie during the very first A to Z Challenge, so we’ve know each other a long time. He’s one sharp fantasy geek and studied Egyptology in college. My guest post today is an easy introduction into the space opera genre, covering books, movies, shows, etc. Plus – we’re giving away a Cassa Universe poster! Check it out.

And CassaStorm’s release week kicks off with prizes every day! Comment between September 16 and 20 to enter. (Ends 6:00 pm EST Sunday, September 22.)
Prizes include:
Cassa mousepad
Cassa Universe poster
Cassa magnet
Cassa mug
Autographed copy of CassaStorm
One person will be randomly selected each day and the five names will be drawn from a hat – first person gets first choice and so on.

This week I will be featuring my tour, unique Cassa facts, trivia, and prizes every day. Plus others are announcing CassaStorm’s release, and almost every post features a unique interview question. List of participants on the CassaStorm Page. So join the fun!

Launch Day Recap

Huge thanks to everyone who has made announcements thus far or purchased CassaStorm! Launch day was awesome – this whole week has been awesome!

The #RUSHED Twitter party with Lynn Rush was fun! Fortunately it wasn’t a huge turnout, or I would’ve been even more confused…

I wanted to point out some really special posts:

Many thanks to Edi at Edi’s Book Lighthouse for hosting me on release day with a review, interview, and giveaway.

Father Dragon Al had a wonderful, fiery tribute and touching review of CassaStar. (As far as I know, no dwarves were singed.)

Leovi posted the most amazing photo in tribute to CassaStorm.

Melanie Schulz posted a wonderful review of CassaStorm.

Tammy Theriault’s announcement was very amusing!

Randy at Not the Baseball Pitcher posted a review of CassaStorm.

And the links to announcement posts have been updated on the CassaStorm Page so you can go directly to the answers if that person has posted.

Thanks, everyone – you made the Ninja’s day!

Ninja News

Samantha Redstreake Geary, the genius behind the Illumination Collaborative Flash Fiction Challenge – Tree of Life, has a special announcement today and a giveaway!

Lynn Rush’s latest came out yesterday – Frostbite! Congratulations, Lynn.

Liesel Hill’s latest came out yesterday - Quantum Entanglement! Plus there’s a Goodreads giveaway in progress, so check it out. Congratulations, Liesel!

Movie Review

Hansel and Gretel
In a nutshell – dumb but fun! It’s a misfire, but an interesting one to watch. Add a weird mix of steampunk weaponry and medieval folklore and you have one strange twist. It’s bloody and violent, which actually works in its favor. (Water this stuff down too far and it’s unwatchable.) Leave brain at door.

Cassa Facts

“A lack of female characters…”

Yes, I heard that more than once. There were virtually no female characters in CassaStar. (Outside of a very brief scene with Byron’s older sister in the beginning.) And that is one of the reasons some readers have dinged it with a poor review.

There are two reasons why no women appear in the first book.

The first has to do with my skills as a writer. It was my first book. I knew I had a lot of things working against me. I didn’t want my incompetence when it came to portraying the opposite sex to be one of those. So I didn’t include any female characters, not even in casual passing on the Cassan Flagship.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think to explain the second reason in CassaStar, and readers didn’t find the answer until CassaFire. There is a legitimate reason why Cassan women don’t serve on Flagships or fly Cassan fighters. I won’t reveal it here, but you can read about it in CassaFire.

So for those of you who still wonder – no, I did not intend to exclude women from my books. I just wasn’t ready to write them in the first book. And as you’ll discover in the second book, their strengths lay elsewhere.

Cassa Trivia

For those who’ve read the Cassa books – or at least read the synopsis of each one! 

1 – Who was Byron’s first navigator?

2 – What was Athee’s relationship to Prefect Orellen?

3 – Who was Byron’s Cosbolt pilot friend in all three books?

4 – What was the name of the Flagship in CassaStar?

5 – What is the name of Athee’s home world?

Did you catch any of those cool posts? Excited about the new books? Seen Hansel and Gretel? Do you struggle with writing the opposite sex? (Or wondered why there were no women in CassaStar?) And do you know any of the trivia?

Don’t forget to visit Mithril Wisdom!

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…

Liesel Hill and Action Movie Villains, Major Ninja News, A to Z Sign-ups Coming, T-Shirt and CassaStar Winners, and the Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest

The awesome Liesel K. Hill is visiting today as part of her tour for Persistence of Vision. It has a fascinating premise and comes out Tuesday, January 29. Liesel blogs at Musings on Fantasia and she’s here to discuss action movie villains.

Top 5 Ways You Know You’re an Action Movie Villain

A few months ago I saw the amazing film Skyfall. May be the best Bond film I’ve ever seen (not that I’ve seen a lot of the older films). There’s a scene in the film where Bond chases Silva (Javier Bardem’s excellent villain), leaping over heavy machinery, sprinting across rooftops and lots of other Bond-y stuff. Eventually they run through the subway. At that point, Bond loses sight Silver. Until he glances to his left. Silver has left a door open, though which Bond follows. It made me smile. I mean, a guy as smart and determined as Silver just happens to leave a door open behind him? Maybe it’s just the innate idiocy of villains, but it got me thinking about attributes of action movie villains. They actually aren’t that hard to pick out of a crowd.

Top 5 Ways You Know You’re an Action Movie Villain:
1 - You think everything is funny! “I’m winning.” Huh-huh-huh. “People are dying.” Huh-huh-huh. “My arm hurts.” Huh-huh-huh.
2 - Just when it looks like you might win, you do something hair-brained like forgetting to shut the door behind you or not figuring out who the true owner of the Elder wand is. I mean, if you’re going to be villainous, shouldn’t you at least try to pull Cs in problem-solving class?
3 - You believe things that have happened to you in the best are awesome excuses for murder, rape, plunder, and all-around world domination. Let’s face it: everyone’s got a sob story, but most people don’t become douche bags. You, on the other hand…
4 - You’re creepy. No really! Stop for a minute to evaluate your own creep factor. Do you, for example, breathe really loudly (hol-puh, hol-puh), sport a detachable jaw (like Silver), practice a smile that’s insincere and just a bit too wide, or have a habit of licking your fingers and smoothing down your eyebrow hairs? If you are guilty of these or any similar quirks, I hate to break it to you my friend but YOU…are creepy.
5 - You have an overwhelming and inexplicable drive to pit yourself against awesome, heroic guys (or gals). I mean seriously! Anyone who honestly believes they can take on the likes of James Bond and win must have repeated third grade at least twice. Tell me I’m wrong!

So, if you encapsulate one or all of the above traits, you may be ideally suited to the (short and bitter) life of an action movie villain. Support groups held every other Thursday at the WTF Rec Center in New York. For more info, call 1-800-2BIFF-IT.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Find Liesel and her series on Her Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads

Ninja News

Tuesday I’m appearing at Shelly’s The Life of a Novice Writer. Be sure to stop by as I discuss nosh with two hungry pups.

Rick at The Writer and the White Cat just announced a new magazine that focuses on young adult science fiction, Beyond Centauri. You can get a copy at White Cat Publications.
Rick also blames me for sending him down the science fiction path. Guilty and proud of it!

One of Milo James Fowler’s Captain Quasar stories is featured in the upcoming anthology, Raygun Chronicles: Space Opera for a New Age. It features authors such as Mike Resnick and Dean Wesley Smith, and pre-orders and donations will help fund the book.
Milo also posted the perfect definition of space opera and why he enjoys it, and I couldn’t agree more.
Congratulations, Milo!

David Powers King just signed a publishing deal with Cedar Fort Publishing! He and co-author Michael R. Jensen will see the release of Woven, a young adult fantasy, in November of this year.
Congratulations, David! Your life will never be the same…

And as for Friday’s question, yes, it really was like comparing apples to oranges and it’s almost impossible to say which is ‘better.’ Not surprising, the voting was pretty much split anyway.

A to Z Sign up opens Wednesday!

The sign up list will be posted here Wednesday morning, along with a brief description of how the Challenge works. It’s the biggest blogging event of the year and you don’t want to miss it. We also have tips posted at the A to Z Blog.

Ninja Army T-shirt and CassaStar Winners!

Winner of a copy of CassaStar - Yvonne Lewis!

Winner of the Ninja Army t-shirt - Julie Dao!

Congratulations, ladies!!

Thanks again to Jeremy Hawkins for designing the t-shirt. You can purchase Ninja Army and others at NEATORAMA.

Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest

Hosted by Stephen, Mark, Elise, and CM.


So, allow me to re-introduce myself…

I’m Ninja Captain Alex.
Author of Amazon Best Sellers CassaStar and CassaFire (CassaStorm comes out this September)
Founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (which posts every first Wednesday)
Co-host of the A to Z Challenge
Musician and guitar player (I play in a band)
Movie geek and NetFlix junkie
Devoted husband and Christian
Basically I’m just a dude trying to support his friends any way possible

And I may or may not have clones…

Also for my new followers, let me introduce you to Byron - this is the book trailer for CassaFire. Yes, I still think it rocks!



Do you think you’re an action movie villain? Picking up Rick’s new magazine or Milo’s anthology? Ready for Wednesday’s sign A to Z sign-up? (Don’t forget it’s also movie quote day – light fantasy.) Visiting the Netorama shop? And how would you introduce yourself?

And if you’re reading this on Tuesday, stop by The Life of a Novice Writer.