RiffTrax on Amazon, The Accountant Review, Devin Townsend Project, Movie Trivia and Answers, and Ninja News

I was to feature a guest today, but it fell through. And that’s all right. I recently told Truedessa that I wanted to scale back. Less promoting and more about what I want to share. I want to share more amazing speculative fiction stuff. More cool movies, more prog rock, more geek happenings and items. And certainly I want to share news of the IWSG and my books and writing.

The posts will still be packed, but it will be with geeky goodness!

RiffTrax Now on Amazon Prime!

My wife discovered that RiffTrax is now on Amazon Prime.

So of course, we had to watch one.

And our choice led us down a dark road…

Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe
This movie may have been forgivable had it released in 1971. That it came out in 1990…shame on everyone involved. It’s the equivalent of a dumpster fire three weeks after a garbage strike.
There’s no point in summarizing, because it’s completely inane.
And it starred Jesse Ventura in a role that should’ve killed his political career. Like, nuclear bomb killed.
Fortunately, RiffTrax manages to make the unwatchable hilarious!

Movie Review

The Accountant
First, I don’t understand the wide split in critics’ reviews. How could one not be entertained by this film or appreciate its clever uniqueness?
And it was original and clever. It was smart and subtle rather than in your face dumb action.
Great performances by everyone, especially Affleck. It was cool to watch a character who was a high-functioning autistic who possessed incredible math skills – and who was a trained killer.
It has a slower pace, but there are many great action sequences. The fights were more about stealth than over the top.
Recommended.

Music Review

Devin Townsend Project - Transcendence

For those not familiar with the artist, and that’s unfortunately a lot of you, Townsend has been making music very a very long time. He began as the singer for Steve Vai in 1993 and since then he’s separated himself as a truly unique singer and personality.
Over the years, he’s been the creator of several projects including Ocean Machine and Strapping Young Lad. Transcendence is the culmination of everything he’s done so far.
It’s progressive rock, which means it’s very complex, but it’s also very accessible. It features some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. The songs are incredibly layered and rich, resulting in a sound that is both moving and sonic. Listening to Transcendence is more of an experience than anything else.
If you enjoy powerful and melodic music, you’ll enjoy this album. As the title states – it’s transcending.

And while you read the rest of this blog post, please enjoy my favorite song on the album, Storm Bending. This is the generic YouTube video, but if you want to see the brand new video that plays more like an epic movie, visit Vemo. Believe me, it’s amazing!

Ninja News

There were two very special posts this past week. Toi Thomas gave a great review of CassaFire and Truedessa wrote the most amazing poem about the Dragon. Thank you, ladies!

Reedsy Learning
Presenting a new learning platform for writers - Reedsy Learning>
From Reedsy Co-founder, Ricardo Fayet:
Reedsy Learning is a brand new learning platform for authors. It offers free courses on pretty much every subject useful to an author, from story inception to marketing the book. Better yet, we've leveraged our network of friends and professionals to make sure each course is taught by a relevant industry expert.
Here's how the courses work:
• you can register for only one at a time
• you get 1 email every day for 10 days
• emails are 5-min reads (max)
• emails are sent in the morning (your timezone) so you can read them while sipping your coffee
Sounds like a great deal – and it’s free!

The IWSG Anthology Contest is open two more weeks! If ever there was a year to enter, this is it – we’ve not had as many entries as last year, so the odds are better. (Unless everyone is just polishing and will send the final week, which is possible!) Theme is fantasy/hero lost – 3000-6000 words. Make it happen!

New Releases

A special new release from one of my best blogger buddies and fellow IWSG admin:

Cling to God: A Devotional by Lynda Young

Find Cling to God: Amazon Paperback, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Oz Kindle, Nook, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Goodreads.

Way to go, Lynda! This book will be a blessing to many.

Christmas Pets & Kisses anthology
Featuring Sold! by J.L. Campbell
Find it at Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo

Ghosts of Fire anthology
From Untethered Realms
Find it at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo

The latest Six Strings is out!
This is Issue 8 and it’s packed with awesome content.
Visit the site and download your free copy.

Movie Trivia

Movie trivia answers from last week:
1 – Iran, John Goodman, movie – 2012 - Argo
2 – Football, Tim McGraw, homeless – 2009 – The Blind Side
3 – London, Kate Winslet, Peter Pan – 2004 – Finding Neverland
4 – Coal mining, Laura Dern, Sputnik – 1999 – October Sky
5 – Arabia, Omar Sharif, cowboy – 2004 - Hidalgo
6 – Musician, Reese Witherspoon, legend – 2005 – Walk the Line

This week – hit men/assassin movies. Name the movies from the character names and the year:

1 - Leon and Mathilda, 1994
2 – Ed and Anton, 2007
3 – Vincent, Jules, and Butch, 1994
4 – Ah Jong, Jennie, and Yi Ying, 1989
5 – Arthur, Steve, and Big Harry, 1972

Who’s ready to binge-watch RiffTrax on Amazon now? Were you misfortunate enough to see Abraxas without their help? Did you see The Accountant? Ready to check out Transcendence? What about Reedsy Learning? Did you get the trivia right? Now, what about this week’s trivia?

Special Updates, Ninja News, Lynda Young and Make Believe, Angela Felsted and Chaste, and the “And You Are…?” Blogfest!

There was a snafu last Friday with the timing of my article at Curiosity Quills Press about the beginnings and purpose of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Sharon Bayliss (who has a book coming out soon, The Charge) apologized for the delay, but sometimes these things happen. So if you missed it Friday morning, the article is HERE. Thanks again Sharon for the opportunity to share. (And remember that the next posting for the IWSG is THIS Wednesday!)

One more week until the Ninja dies. Yes, I’ve seen all those comments about roasting and embarrassing me!! But I’m honored and touched by the amount of people who signed up for the blogfest. I’m glad I’ve made a difference to so many. And that you care enough to say something. I guess it takes an embarrassing blogfest thrown in your honor to find out who your real friends are. Thank you.You guys rock.
And if you somehow missed it, read about it HERE.

Ninja News

The fifth book in Michael Abayomi’s epic fantasy series is out – The Passage. Congratulations, Michael!

Siv Ottem and Roland Yeomans have short stories in the anthology, Open Doors: Fractured Fairy Tales. The publisher states: “A socially conscious press, Wayman is dedicated to helping those in need. Much of the profit from this anthology will be donated to Primary Children's Hospital in the form of Christmas gifts we'll bring to the long-term patients staying there.” Congratulations Siv and Roland – and what an awesome cause!

Jeremy interviewed Chris Sarandon this weekend over at Howling Wolf Records.
Yes, THE Chris Sarandon of Fright Night and The Princess Bride fame! So go check it out.

Marta Szemik’s next book in the Two Halves series was just released, Evil-Bent. Congratulations, Marta!

Make Believe

Lynda R. Young’s short story titled Birthright, published by J. Taylor Publishing in the Make Believe anthology, launched TODAY! Make Believe is currently available in e-book format and includes Paranormal Romance and Fantasy stories inspired by the image on the cover. Congratulations, Lynda! 

Birthright by Lynda R. Young
Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible.
She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she's never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her.
Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead.

About Lynda R. Young:
Lynda R. Young lives in Sydney, Australia, with her sweetheart of a husband who is her rock, and a cat who believes world domination starts in the home. She writes speculative short stories and is currently writing novels for young adults. In her spare time she also dabbles in photography and all things creative. You can find her here: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads

Purchase Make Believe: J Taylor Publishing, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Lynda, way to go! You are an amazing writer and dear friend and I couldn’t be more excited for you.

Chaste

Now available – Chaste by Angela Felsted!

When he steps into his physics class on the first day of senior year, Quinn Walker is too exhausted from staying up all night with his three-month-old nephew to deal with moral dilemmas. As a devout Mormon who has vowed to wait until marriage for sex, the last thing he needs is a very hot and very sexy Katarina Jackson as his physics partner. Regrettably, he has no choice.
Kat feels invisible in her mansion of a home six months after losing her older brother in a fatal car crash and will do anything to get her parents? attention. Since her pastor father has no love for Quinn?s ?fake? religion and her ex-boyfriend refuses to leave her alone, she makes an impulsive bet with her friends to seduce her holier-than-thou lab partner by Christmas.

Angela Felsted is a Northern Virginia native who is overly fond of Olive Garden and Red Lobster. She grew up in a faithful Mormon home with three brothers and one sister where she learned to stand up for herself by tickling her attackers until they broke out into laughing fits. Her work has appeared in issue fifteen of Drown in Your Own Fears, Chanterelle's Notebook and Vine Leaves Literary Journal. Her chapbook, Cleave, was published by finishing line press in 2012.
Find Angela here: Blog, Twitter, and Goodreads
Purchase Chaste at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
View the trailer on YouTube.

Congratulations, Angela!!!!

“And You Are…?” Blogfest!

Hosted by Emily R King and Tammy Theriault.

We are to answer these questions or David Spade loses his Christmas bonus:

1. How many speeding tickets have you gotten? Two. I’ve been REALLY lucky!

2. Can you pitch a tent? Is that like pitching a story? No? Then no would be my answer.

3. What was your worst vacation ever? Anything involving the woods and tents. That’s what four-star hotels are for.

4. What was the last thing you bought over $100? You really want to know? Splurged this past weekend and purchased a Gibson Les Paul guitar. Yeah, just a little over $100…

5. We're handing you the keys to what? A Bugatti Veyron!!! Hey, it’s my fantasy.

6. What was the last meal cooked that made even you sick? Twenty-five years ago – it involved Tuna Helper. I’ll never touch the stuff again.

7. Fill in the blank: Oh my gosh! Becky, look at her butt! It is so big. She looks like John Goodman in a bikini!

8. What was your first car? A two-door Ford something. One of those crap cars you drive when you’re sixteen.

9. Your best friend falls and gets hurt. Do you ask if he/she's okay or laugh first? My best friend is my wife – if I laugh, I’ll never be allowed in the house again!

10. What's the worst song ever? Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. No explanation needed.

Visit Emily or Tammy for a list of participants or to join us.

Did you finally see the article at Curiosity Quills? Ready for Wednesday’s IWSG? Picking up either Lynda or Angela’s books? And you are…?