Insecure Writer’s Support Group Big Announcement! Plus September Movie Preview, Movie Trivia Answers, and New Releases

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 Julie Flanders, Murees Dupé, Dolorah at Book Lover, Christine Rains, and Heather Gardner!


Today marks four years since the group began and two years since we opened the website. So what better way to celebrate than offer our members an amazing opportunity! Presenting…

The IWSG Short Story Contest 2015

After the success of last year’s IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond, we decided to create another book. This time it’s a short story competition with the top ten stories getting published in an anthology. (Authors will also receive royalties on sales.)

Eligibility: Any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging or Facebook member. The story must be previously unpublished. Entry is free.

Word count: 5000-6000

Theme: Alternate History/Parallel Universe. That’s right, we’ve decided to go the speculative route. This theme has plenty of scope and we’re open to pretty much anything along these lines, except erotica or graphic violence.

Story deadline: November 1st 2015

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted, previously unpublished story to TheIWSG at gmail dot com before the deadline passes. Make sure to include your contact details.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges:
Laura Maisano - Senior editor at Anaiah Press for their YA/NA Christian fiction
Russell Connor – Author and owner of Dark Filament Publishing Startup
Candace Havens – Editorial Director for the Covet, Select, Select Otherworld, Select Historical, Embrace, Indulgence for Entangled Publishing. She is also a nationally syndicated columnist and award-winning and best-selling author.
Dawn Frederick – Literary agent and the founder of Red Sofa Literary
Alice Speilburg – Founder of the Speilburg Literary Agency
Michelle Johnson – Literary agent and the founder of Inklings Literary Agency
Kendare Blake - Author
Lydia Moëd - Associate agent at The Rights Factory

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title. The winners will also receive an exclusive badge to display on their blog.

We’re excited to see the creativity and enthusiasm that’s such a part of this group put into action. So don your creative caps and start writing. And spread the word!

The #IWSG short story anthology contest is open! For details - http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2015/09/iwsg-post-day-and-special-anniversary.html #contest #shortstory #anthology

Ninja News

Battle of the Banned results:
The song was Powerslave and the votes were close. With my vote for Maiden…
Iron Madien - 12
Testament - 8

Truedessa wrote a beautiful poem about the Dragon and posted a shot of the book and swag she won!


Rhonda Albom’s daughter had this exciting news:
I have been accepted into the AFS student exchange program! I will be going to Argentina for the 2016 year. One of several ways I am fundraising for my portion of expenses is by creating an online Zazzle store and selling some of my photography works on different products. I started Sarah Albom Photography a few days ago.

Interesting article at Tiny Tickle - Leeds and the World's First Science Fiction Convention. Arthur C. Clarke was one of the attendees.

New Releases!

Garden of Lost Souls: A Collection of Flash Fiction by Madeline Mora-Summonte 
Find it at Amazon and Goodreads

Tiamat's Nest by Ian S. Bott
Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBookstore

Just Another Day in Purgatory by River Fairchild
Amazon. iBookstore, and Barnes and Noble

Re-release:
Oppression by Jessica Therrien

Movie Trivia Answers 

1 – Where is your drill sergeant, men? Blown up, Sir! – 1981- Stripes
2 – In Mexico, you know what they call Twinkies? Los submarions. – 2009 - Zombieland
3 – Wild Thing, you make my heart sing. You walk everything. – 1989 Major League
4 – Hey, get a room guys… Oh that’s not right! – 1999 Galaxy Quest
5 – I’m going to call her Lunch. Hello, Lunch, hello! Ew! Avoid the green ones-not ripe yet. – 1988 A Fish Called Wanda

September Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for September! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

4 –

The Transporter Refueled
In the south of France, former special-ops mercenary Frank Martin enters into a game of chess with a femme-fatale and her three sidekicks who are looking for revenge against a sinister Russian kingpin.
Director: Camille Delamarre
Stars: Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol, Ray Stevenson, Lenn Kudrjawizki
Now refueled with even fewer stars…



11 –

The Visit
A single mother finds that things in her family's life go very wrong after her two young children visit their grandparents.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Stars: Kathryn Hahn, Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan
It’s actually getting good buzz – it’s the director’s apology for the past four films.



18 –

Everest 
A climbing expedition on Mt. Everest is devastated by a severe snow storm.
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Stars: Elizabeth Debicki, Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley, Robin Wright
It looks good – I actually want to see this one.

Sicario
An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Jon Bernthal, Josh Brolin
Good buzz and could be another hit for Blunt.




25 –

Hotel Transylvania 2
Dracula and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson in order to keep Mavis from leaving the hotel.
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Stars: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Nick Offerman
Adam Sandler – insert your own suck joke here.

What are your writer insecurities today? Picking up any of the new releases? Get any of the trivia right? Which movies are you seeing in September? And who plans to enter the IWSG contest…?

Retro A to Z Challenge: K – Kvelertak 2013 (and Rio 2 Movie Review)

Kvelertak – Meir – 2013

While not quite as good as the first album, Meir still delivers. It’s a crazy mash up of punk, metal, prog rock, death metal, and anything else they could throw in the blender. If you’re a fan of screaming metal, check out this unique band from Norway.

2013 fun facts –
*Cost of a gallon of gas - $3.80
*Cost of a movie ticket - $10.25
*A giant meteor exploded near Chelyabinsk in Russia
*Microsoft released the Xbox One and Sony released the Playstation 4
*House of Cards became the first web series to win an Emmy
*The 3D Printer hits the scene and the first 3D-printed gun was fired last May

Movies released –
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Thor: The Dark World
Pacific Rim

Music released –
Amon Amarth – Deceiver of the Gods
Ayreon – The Theory of Everything

Games released –
StarCraft II – Heart of the Swarm

And why is 2013 special?
It’s the year Madeline Mora-Summonte released her flash fiction collection and Terri Rochenski released her first novel!

Madeline is an author with a fondness for sand and beaches. She’s the proud owner of two tortoises, Larry and Mrs. Larry, and you can sometimes catch their antics on her blog. Madeline is introspective and will make you think. (But she’s nice, so not too hard.) Find her at The Shellshank Redemption.

Terri is the author of several books and a mother to two girls. Rejection nearly derailed her twice, but she didn’t give up on her author dreams. A sweet and generous woman, she also hosts authors on tour. Terri blogs at Scribbler’s Sojourn.

Ninja News

My dear friend Yvonne Lewis just released her third book – Moments of My Life.
I was honored to supply a blurb for her book and look forward to getting my copy soon. (Who says poets and Ninjas can’t mix?)
You can buy it on Amazon HERE.
Congratulations, Yvonne!!

Movie Review – Rio 2

Let me begin by stating up front that I thought the first movie was ‘all right’ but nothing I ever wanted to see again.
However, I’d gladly sit through it if that meant I didn’t have to see Rio 2 ever again.

The second film picks up shortly after the first one ends. Blu and family travel to the Amazon to help Linda and Tulio find more blue macaws. The movie tosses in illegal logging, revenge, finding lost family, trying to fit in, and several other generic and clichéd plot ideas. (And Nigel the vengeful cockatoo with a lovesick tree frog made for a really weird pairing.)
While the movie is amazing to look at in 3D, the story is a bit flat, lacking in the first one’s charm and humor, and it’s overlong. There are also a lot of songs in this one. (I think one was called This is the Way We Pad the Film.)
Will kids like it? Probably. Will adults like it? Eh, good luck!

Have you ever heard of Kvelertak? Caught up on last year’s movies? Following Madeline and Terri? Enjoy Yvonne’s poetry? Keeping up with the Challenge? And anyone else get drug to a stupid bird movie this weekend…?

Latest X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Hobbit Trailers! Plus November Movie Preview, Horror Story Trivia, and the Ninja News

Latest Movie Trailers

Just released - X-Men: Days of Future Past trailer - and it is really awesome!



Coming May 23, 2014. And just look at the cast: Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Halle Berry, Omar Sy, and Lucas Till.

And in case you missed this one a couple weeks ago – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug



Coming December 13!

November Movies

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

1 –

Ender’s Game
The International Military seek out a leader who can save the human race from an alien attack. Ender Wiggin, a brilliant young mind, is recruited and trained to lead his fellow soldiers into a battle that will determine the future of Earth.
Director: Gavin Hood
Stars: Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin
I’ve read the book – curious to see how much they changed the ending…


8 –

Thor: The Dark World
Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
Director: Alan Taylor
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård
THE movie to see in November!! Looks awesome. And already scoring great reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.

15 –

The Wolf of Wall Street
Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, P.J. Byrne, Jon Favreau, Spike Jonze
Not the type of movie I see in theaters, but it does look quirky.

The Book Thief
While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refuge is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.
Director: Brian Percival
Stars: Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer
Based on the book. Before it was stolen…


22 –

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.
Director: Francis Lawrence
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman
I don’t believe the box office will suffer if I just skip this one…


29 –

Frozen 
Fearless optimist Anna teams up with Kristoff in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, and a hilarious snowman named Olaf in a race to find Anna's sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom in eternal winter.
Directors: Chris Buck | Jennifer Lee
Stars: Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Idina Menzel, Alan Tudyk
So epic, I’d never heard of it until now… But what else are you going to take the kids to see after Thanksgiving?

Ninja News

Madeline Mora-Summonte just released a book - The People We Used To Be. The stories in this flash fiction collection are like day trips - brief, illuminating journeys - across the landscape of the human condition. Congratulations, Madeline!

L.G. Keltner carved one wicked dragon pumkin!!

Horror Story Trivia

Name the author…

1 – The Exorcist 1971

2 – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1886

3 – The Dark Tower 1938

4 – The Anubis Gates 1983

5 – At the Mountain of Madness 1931

Excited about the next X-Men and Hobbit movies? Any movies you plan to see in November? Think LG’s pumpkin is cool? And can you name any of the authors…?

And now scroll all the way to the bottom - my name in lights, courtesy of the awesome Jeremy Hawkins!