MI: Rogue Nation Review, Movie News, Battle of the Banned, Question of the Month, New Releases, and Ninja News!

Movie Review

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
I’ve seen three great films this summer – and now I can add this one.
The movie is entertaining from start to finish.
It’s funny with great action sequences and a compelling storyline. I’d say this is my second favorite entry in the series, right behind Ghost Protocol.
There is a great balance of characters. Renner brings swagger to his role, and Pegg brings the humor. (Along with some of the best lines in the film.) Add in Rhames with his old school attitude plus Cruise, and it’s a great combination.
Best way to describe the direction the franchise has taken with the last few films – James Bond meets Fast and Furious, with high tech gadgets and crazy, over the top action sequences.
Highly recommended!

Movie News

According to JoBlo, Games of Thrones will last for at least eight seasons.

Also on JoBlo – coming soon, a Nosferatu remake:
Director Robert Eggers, who won the directing prize at Sundance for THE WITCH, is tackling a remake of F.W. Murnau's silent classic, NOSFERATU, for Studio 8. The production company is best known for the indies BEGINNERS and AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS. There is no word on how direct of a remake this version of the story will be but the untitled film is described as a visceral adaptation.
NOSFERATU has been remade previously by Werner Herzog with Klaus Kinski in the lead as well as a "true story" version titled SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE with Willem Dafoe as NOSFERATU actor Max Shrek and John Malkovich as Murnau. The striking make-up design of Shrek's Count Orlof has inspired numerous vampire characters, especially Stephen King's creature in SALEM'S LOT.

And last week, SyFy’s makeup competition show, Face Off, started a new season!

Ninja News

The Geek Twins shared some great news - About.com has asked me to head up their brand new Superman site. It's going to be your one stop shop for the biggest superman news and information. Way to go, guys!

Madilyn Quinn at Novel Brews posted a large list of Flash Fiction and Drabble challenges and weekly contests – check it out!

Melissa Maygrove posted an excellent to do list for self-publishers – check it out HERE

Roland Yeomans posted about Lester Dent’s Secret to Master Plots. (He wrote over a hundred and fifty Doc Savage novels.)

Samantha Redstreake Geary announced this epic project:
Join us on a journey through Uncharted, a visionary reimagining of Greek mythology and ancient history, where the mystery behind the world’s most extraordinary discovery comes to life through the collaborative efforts of graphic designer, Koke Núñez Gómez, recording artist, Aeralie Brighton, and author Samantha Redstreake Geary, under the influence of Immediate Music & Imperativa Records‘ This Is Epic Music Vol. 1.
Fans will have the opportunity to WIN signed copies of This Is Epic Music Vol. 1! Be the first to answer our contest questions correctly and we’ll send you a signed album via co-founder & president of Immediate Music, award-winning composer, Yoav Goren.
3 Chapters + 3 Contest Questions = 3 chances to WIN signed albums

New Releases

Athletic Antics by Joanne Faries

She stood, frozen, at the edge of the diving board. At an early age, Joanne Faries demonstrated absolutely no athletic ability. In Athletic Antics, her latest humorous memoir, the author describes riding her bicycle into the back of a car; climbing trees and sliding (not on purpose) down them scraping every inch of her body; plus surviving the duress of junior high field hockey, lacrosse, and volleyball.

Find Athletic Antics on Amazon

Veritas, Shadow of the Rose: Book Two by M.L. Chesley

Cosmic Seasoning by L.G. Keltner

Free on Smashwords

Battle of the Banned

I am participating in Shady Del Knight’s Battle of the Banned. (Yes, Banned, not Band.) It takes place the first Monday of every month.

The Sweet’s songs have been covered multiple times, probably more than just about any other band. I decided to select 1973’s Ballroom Blitz and see what I could find. I knew Krokus had recorded it, and I found two other bands I liked. So today, you get three versions! You know the drill – pick your favorite.

Krokus from The Blitz:


The Offspring from their demo tape:


Nuclear Assault from Out of Order:

Question of the Month

Hosted by Michael at A Life Examined.

“If your parent or child committed a major crime, would you turn them in?”

It would depend on the crime. I wouldn’t turn my father in for jaywalking. Or speeding.

But if that person killed someone, yes, I’d be morally obligated to turn them in.

Did you catch Mission Impossible this weekend? Think we need another Nosferatu movie? Watching Face Off? Any news or new releases that catch your attention? Which version of Ballroom Blitz is your favorite? And what would you do if someone you loved committed a major crime…?

Don’t forget – Wednesday is Insecure Writer’s Support Group post day!

Spacedock 19, Ninja News, Adversarius, Movie Trivia Answers, and the Beginnings Blogfest!

Today I am visiting author M. Pax and Spacedock 19! Mary knows how to ask those hard hitting questions, and she grilled me on outlining. (Clones may have been mentioned as well.) Visit M. Pax for the full scoop!

And do you like the new header? Totally rocks! Created by the awesome Retro Zombie Jeremy - contact him if you'd like an interactive header as well. You the man, Jeremy!

Ninja News

Mark Koopmans is hosting his annual Got Green? Blog O’ Hop on March 15.

Nick at Scattergun Scribblings is hosting the Overcoming Adversity Blogfest February 4-5. Entries will be compiled into a book and the proceeds will go to funding college for his son, Andrew, who has cerebral palsy.

SA Larson created this writer’s creed. See her site to sign up and get your badge.


Hilde McQueen’s latest book is out, Where the Four Winds Collide. Congratulations, Hildie!

Now available - Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend by Becca Ann

“It's stupid to fall for your brother's ex. It's even worse to enlist another's help to win the ex over…”

Find Becca Ann on Facebook
Find her book on Goodreads and purchase the eBook or paperback at Amazon.




And don’t forget to save the date for my next blogfest, March 18 – to be announced next month!

Available Now!

Mel has worked so long and hard on this book, and it’s finally available!

Adversarius by ML Chesley

Two kingdoms, two goals.
The king of Relavia is determined to wipe out his warring neighbors in Paridzule, a worthy adversary for over five hundred years. News of an arranged marriage between his son and the daughter of his lifelong enemy has fueled the temper of Relavia's tyrannical king. What he doesn't realize is the true measure of his son's honor and how far he is willing to go to gain peace.

M. L. Chesley is an Alaska based author, online blogger and MMORPG junkie. She has been writing fantasy for several years. Between writing, work and family she barely has time for much gaming, but some days, raids take precedence over all. If you would like to learn more about her world, created in this book, go to her website. You can also follow her blog or on Facebook.
Purchase Adversarius Amazon or Smashwords.

Congratulations, Mel!!!

Movie Trivia Answers

1 – Check me if I’m wrong, Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers, they’re gonna lock me up and throw away the key. Caddyshack
2 – Who dumped a truckload of Fizzies into the swim meet, delivered school cadavers to the alumni dinner? Every Halloween the trees are filled with underwear, every spring the toilets explode. Animal House
3 – He is so dumb. He thought the Gettysburg Address was where Lincoln lived, and when he heard your daughter’s name was Portia, he said “Why did they name her after a car?” A Fish Called Wanda
4 – Are you telling me I put an abnormal brain into a seven-and-a-half-foot-long, 54-inch-wide gorilla? Young Frankenstein
5 – Can I raise a practical question? Are we gonna do Stonehenge tomorrow? This is Spinal Tap

Beginnings Blogfest

Hosted by the awesome LG Keltner, we are to post about our writing beginnings.

Want to know how CassaStar began?

There were many influences. I was always a Star Trek fan. Star Wars came along and redefined movies and space operas. I enjoyed the likes of Bradbury and Heinlein.

And then, a single image for an upcoming TV series caught my attention:

Frank Frazetta’s artwork for the series Battlestar Galactica.

What ignited my imagination was the setting – a rocky planet and a downed ship. The characters, stranded and ready to defend themselves, also caught my attention. (And in the central character, you can probably see the beginnings of Byron.) I imagined two people, a pilot and a navigator, their fighter shot down on a rocky planet and forced to make a sacrifice.

That scene, written when I was a teen, was the only part of the original story to survive. (And the scene changed some during the rewrite.) But that image ignited the story behind CassaStar, which eventually became my first published book. Now it’s an Amazon Best Seller and has spawned two sequels.

A picture really is worth a thousand words!

Excited about the new books and blogfests? Are you picking up Adversarius? Get any of the movie trivia right? And how did your writing begin?

Don’t forget to visit M. Pax’s Spacedock 19!

Author ML Chesley & Humor; Chocolate Blogfest; SA Larsen Giveaways; Ninja News and More!

Special Guest, Author M. L. Chesley, Talks Balance and Laughter!

Hi everyone!

First of all, let me just say thank you to Alex for allowing me to hijack his blog for a day. Alex, you are the best Ninja Captain out here in the blogosphere and I am very thankful you're such a great support.

Next, I want to let you all know a little something about me. I am a Libra. That's my sign. If you are hitting on me, then my sign would be 'Stop'. So what does this have to do with anything, you ask? Well, as a Libran, I'm about balance. I am always trying to find a balance to everything I do in my life. I also try to find that balance in my writing. With that being said, let me ask you this:

Do you like to laugh?

Sure, laughter is the best medicine and everyone loves a comedian, but how much comic relief do you want to have in your stories?

Me? I love my comic relief. I love when my characters bicker like siblings, joke around like best pals and try to alleviate tension.

Ahh, now we're getting to it, right? Letting off a little steam every so often. Things get to heavy, too dramatic and in walks the clown, am I right? When have you not seen a little humor in those dark, depressing scenes? You want to move your reader, you want them to experience a myriad of emotions at your bidding. But you also want them to laugh!

Laughter is my defense mechanism and it is also the same for my character, Vendras. Like I always say, if I can't laugh about it, there is something seriously wrong. Vendras likes being the one to dispel the gloom, to get the smile or chuckle, though he'd never admit to it outright. I feel it is a very important aspect to have in writing. I find I connect with characters and authors who use humor as a weapon against the darkness when I read a book. More often than not, I find a book with very little humor to be too much or too boring.

So what do you think? And by the way, I have a book coming soon: 'Adversarius, Shadow of the Rose: Book One'. I’ll be sure to let you know when the book is available. You’ll get to meet Vendras, then!

Mel~

~ I'm a blogger and an author.

Adversarius, Shadow of the Rose: Book One, will be available soon from Hellfire Publishing, and you can visit their blog, the Hellfire Herald.

What's Your Chocolate Blogfest

Hosted by Laura Eno, M. Pax, Ciara Knight, and Brinda Berry!

My favorite kind of chocolate? Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!Why? Chocolate and peanut butter. Together. Enough said!

Visit any of the ladies above for a full list of participants. (Essentially, dozens of women and about five happy guys. Hey, wouldn't you be happy surrounded by all those women?)

S.A. Larsen – Giveaway and Promotion Opportunities!

“Today, I invite you to celebrate with me!! I've signed with Literary Agent Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary! And because our literary community is so freaking fabulous and generous, I'm having a Bigger-Than-A-Shopping-Mall GIVEAWAY!! The giveaway consists of: two separate Rafflecopters with multiple giveaways and one grand prize Rafflecopter giveaway - to enter for the grand prize, you must enter either giveaway #1, #2, or both.”

Congratulations, Sheri! She has also launched Graffiti Promotions. If you are an author, hop over to her site and fill out one of the forms.

Ninja News

Isis Rushdan unveiled the cover for her upcoming release, Kindred of the Fallen. Congratulations, Isis!

Angela Orlowski-Peart’s first book, Greed, is due out on September 20. She has been hard at work designing her new website and invites everyone to come take a look HERE. Congratulations, Angela – that’s next week. Get excited!

Don’t forget my Genre Favorites Blogfest next Monday, September 17!


And look for my music trivia answers on Wednesday.



Today I am also revealing the cover for Carrie Butler’s upcoming novel, Strength, Mark of Nexus – Book 1

Synopsis:
When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, she’s stunned. Wallace Blake is everything she’s ever wanted in a man—except he can’t touch her. His uncontrollable strength, a so-called gift from his bloodline, makes every interaction dangerous. And with a secret, supernatural war brewing among his kind, there’s no time to work it out. To keep Wallace in her life, Rena will have to risk a whole lot more than her heart.

Published by Sapphire Star Publishing, this New Adult/Paranormal Romance will be released on March 07, 2013.

Find Carrie Butler here: Website, Blog, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Do you use humor in your writing? Or something else to balance the tension? What’s your favorite chocolate? Entering SA Larsen’s giveaway? Excited about the upcoming releases? Bummed you have to wait until Wednesday for the music trivia answers? Sorry, didn’t want this blog post to explode…