Melissa Bradley’s Favorite Lady Badasses, CassaStorm Winners, Friday Night Alibi, and Ninja News

Special treat for you today! Melissa Bradley is here to share her favorite bad ass ladies, and this Ninja highly approves of her choices!

My Fave Lady Badasses

"Thanks Captain, for letting me take over your ninja fortress for a little bit. Yes, I promise I'll be brief.Wait, what's that? Watch out for Mini Alex. Okay." Smiles and nods as Alex walks away, then looks around quickly for any sign of the little guy.

"Alright, coast clear. Now where was I? Oh yeah, I love strong women, love to read about them, love to watch them in the movies and of course, love to write about them. Growing up I was caught between the women's equality movement and old school, conservative relatives who wanted to me to start planning my wedding my junior year of high school. It was my dad who first introduced me to badass women. He took me to see movies like Alien and Star Wars and talked about his admiration for Ellen and for Princess Leia as leaders.

Anyway without further ado, here are my fave badass ladies of the movies

Ellen Ripley (The Alien films)
She was the first woman I ever saw in a command position on a space ship, going toe to toe with her mostly male crew, but also a nine-foot acid for blood alien. She wielded a flame-thrower and a pulse rifle with skill and I was dazzled.

Selene (Underworld)
Female vampires had always been slinky, slutty characters relegated to the background, but here was a badass who wielded guns, blades and had mad hand to hand skills. What is not to love?

Alice (Resident Evil)
Growing up, it was the guys who always racked up the zombie kills and the ladies only got one in on occasion and usually because the guys were not around or already dead. Here was a woman highly skilled in hand to hand and any other weaponry you could think of. She took charge of the situation and waded in to kill every ghoul in the room.

Zoe Washburne (Serenity, Firefly)
Zoe is in a whole class by herself. Second in command of a squad of rebel soldiers, then a crew of smugglers, she is one of my fave characters of all time. She is brilliant in hand to hand, but nothing compares to her skills with firearms and her uncanny ability to assess a situation and size up the odds.

I have lots more, but I don't want the Captain to cut me off using one of his ninja techniques. Besides I think I hear those little feet and I am such a klutz, I don't want to fall on the poor fellow. But before I go, I love to hear from people so feel free to drop by my blog, Melissa's Imaginarium anytime. Or hit me up onTwitter or Facebook.

About Melissa:
She grew up on the Southeast Side of Chicago, a land steel mills and churches right at the bottom of Lake Michigan. It's not found on many maps, but it shaped her passion for writing and storytelling. When she's not writing or working her day job, Melissa can be found at the library or parked in front of her TV indulging her other big passion, movies.

Her latest books: NATHAN'S ANGEL and BYZANTINE PROVOCATEUR

Thanks, Melissa – you rock!

Ninja News

Voting is open at Michelle’s BLOG for favorite funny A to Z Challenge definitions. Prizes are involved, so check it out.

Annie Walls is hosting the May Monster Madness next week. “How does May Monster Madness work? Well, it's a blog hop featuring posts about monsters! Anything you can think of as long as it has something to do with monsters... crafts, lists, movies, funnies (a personal favorite)... anything!”

The A to Z Challenge Reflections list will be open through Friday. Remember, it’s not a sign up! Add the link to your Reflections post after you have posted. (Sorry, we had to delete a few who signed up but hadn’t posted yet.)

The Best/Worst Movie Remakes Blogfest is a week from Friday – don’t miss it!

My review of Iron Man III (it was good!) will be up on Wednesday, along with a review of what I saw Friday night. (And yes, it was even better.)

Cover Reveal – Friday Night Alibi

Friday Night Alibi
By Cassie Mae
Available July 29, 2013

Rising star Cassie Mae introduces New Adult readers to a practical soon-to-be college freshman who seems to have everything—until a special guy shows her what she’s been missing.

In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation…

“Totally entertaining with as many swoon-worthy moments as hilarious ones, Friday Night Alibi is a must-read.”—Jolene Perry, co-author of Out of Play

“A fun, funny, and fantastic story, this is one you will read in a day, and pick up to re-read again the next.”—Kelley Lynn, author of Fraction of Stone

Pre-order Friday Night Alibi: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, and Random House

Challenge Winners of CassaStorm

Thanks to everyone who left a comment last month. (All 4100+ of you!) Random.org selected the following winners of a review copy of CassaStorm:

Jemi Fraser

Mark Koopmans

Congratulations you two!

Following the awesome Melissa? Who would make your list of badass ladies? Signed up for the blogfests? Excited to pick up Cassie’s book in July? And who else saw Iron Man III this weekend…?

Major Ninja News!

No, the Ninja Captain has not changed rank – I just have a lot of cool stuff for you guys today.

First, I have the honor of a guest post at Melissa’s Imaginarium! Melissa is awesome in every way possible, so please visit her. And Thursday is her birthday!

The Debutante Ball: Feast of Debut Authors continues! December 13 was Regan Guerra, December 14 is Melissa Pearl, and December 15 is Joseph Beekman. Lots of cool things to win!

Our very own Talli Roland has a new book out – Build A Man! Yeah, I know you ladies would rather do that then deal with us… Talli is the most supportive and cutest English-Canadian you will ever meet, so go say hey!

One of my most favorite blogger buddies, Yvonne Lewis at Welcome to My World of Poetry, has a new book -“Written From the Heart” Yvonne has worked SO hard on her second book and so many things went wrong in the process. Please stop by and congratulate her and check out her book!!!

Voting is still open for The Movie 411 Awards.

The most successful author I know is Milo James Fowler at In Media Res. He’s sold dozens of short stories this year, and that is due in part to his participation in Write1Sub1:

Once upon a time, Ray Bradbury was a struggling young writer in love with the craft. He wrote a short story every week, polished it up, and submitted it to a magazine. Rejection letters flooded in, mainly due to his prolific number of submissions, but there were also acceptances along the way, and they inspired Bradbury to keep doing what he loved: telling stories as only he could.

This year, over 150 writers decided to follow in Mr. Bradbury’s footsteps by joining Write1Sub1. Some have written and submitted a new story or poem every week, and some have done so every month. So far, more than 40 participants have had their work accepted by over 100 different markets—from Twitter fiction to pro-paying, SFWA-qualifying short story markets—and we've cheered each other on every step of the way. But we've also been there to commiserate with disappointments and rejections, because that’s what Write1Sub1 is all about: community. We're dedicated to creating high-quality written works, and we're determined to submit them until they find good homes.

It's never too late to join as either a weekly or monthly participant, and Write1Sub1 RELOADED is only a few weeks away: 1/1/2012!

David Powers King co-founded Ink Pageant, a parade of blog posts for writers!

We want to help writers improve their craft and reach their goals.
We're not alone. There are scads of authors and aspiring writers out there willing to help each other, and they're willing to share advice through their blogs. We want to help bring it to you and make it easy to find.
Ink Pageant has a few other purposes. You can share recommended reading or sell your books through your profile page; announce book signings, conferences, and other events; and share movie or book reviews. Most importantly, posts you submit can be put in front of an interested audience, benefitting them and bringing your blog a little extra traffic.
Right now their December giveaway is an in-depth 10 page critique from Eschler Editing – check it out HERE

See some good books? Ready to tackle Write1Sub1? Join Ink Pageant? Head about to explode from all the news? Now, go visit Melissa’s Imaginarium!

The Long Weekend News...

Lots of cool stuff happening! And Thanksgiving for my American friends. Food, family, and football – the essentials to a comatose day of overindulgence. 

All nominations for The 411 Movie Awards must be in by November 28! I’ve been nominated for Best Science Fiction Blog and Best Blog Post (for the Worst Movies Ever Blogfest.) But, it’s only the top five nominated blogs who go on to the voting stage. No groveling, but I would be really thankful if you clicked over and nominated me. 

And don’t forget these awesome sites, also in the running for an award or two:  

Cinemarvellous! GOLD! Nominate George’s site for the Gold Award and Best Design! 

iZombie! 

Melissa’s Imaginarium  

The Geek Twins 

DL at Cruising Altitude, along with several co-hosts, are holding a Déjà vu Blogfest. 

“On December 16, re-post your favorite blog offering or one that never received the exposure it should have.” 

I already know which post I’ll select – do you? 

This is also the weekend for three family-friendly movie releases. I’m not ashamed to say I will be seeing the Muppet movie. It’s part of my childhood. A part I’m not letting go of just yet! No laughing – I’ll have to sic Animal on you. 

Arthur Christmas also intrigues just because it’s from Aardman Animations. (The people who created Flushed Away, Wallace and Gromit, and Chicken Run.) Ladies, you can swoon over James McAvoy’s voice – he’s Arthur! 

And since it’s Thanksgiving weekend, here’s my short list of things for which I am grateful: 

My wife 

My relationship with Jesus 

My job 

My home 

My friends, including all of you

The case of Hot Tamales I’ve requested from Santa for Christmas 

(And a new guitar would be cool as well!) 

Your turn – what are you grateful for? 

Don’t forget The 411 Movie Awards nominations. 

And the Déjà vu Blogfest. 

And Muppets! 

Don’t make this Ninja go all Animal on you…(Bet some of you would like that, wouldn't you?)

November Movies and Movie Awards!

One month closer to Christmas…

Big announcement this week – the 411 Movie Awards are back! These were a lot of fun last year and I had the honor of winning the Best Science Fiction Blog. I encourage everyone to visit their SITE and nominate YOUR favorite movie-related blog.
Some excellent suggestions:
Cinemarvellous!
MsMariah’s Space Blog-yessy
A Life in Equinox
The Geek Twins
Scifi Media

Now on to the November movies. As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

11 -

Immortals
Theseus is a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity.
Director: Tarsem Singh
Stars: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, John Hurt
I’m not as excited about this one as I should be. The graphics in the trailer just don’t WOW me…

J. Edgar
As the face of law enforcement in America for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life.
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts
Cast and director caught my eye with this one…

There’s also some Harry Potter movie coming out on DVD…


22 -

Super 8 and Conan both come out on DVD


25 -

The Muppets
With the help of three fans, The Muppets must reunite to save their old theater from a greedy oil tycoon.
Director: James Bobin
Stars: Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper
Who doesn’t like Muppets????

Hugo
Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Stars: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lee
Scorsese directing an animated kids film? I think hell just froze over...

Arthur Christmas
On Christmas night at the North Pole, Santa's youngest son looks to use his father's high-tech operation for an urgent mission.
Director: Sarah Smith
Stars: James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy
Yes, three kid’s movies on the same day! Wonder who will win…?


29 -

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil on DVD!


Don’t forget to nominate your favorite movie blog!

Which movies catch your eye this month? And does anyone know more about that Harry Potter film…?
And I have to mention this - I never look, but I checked my Amazon Kindle ranking last night and CassaStar was number eight in science fiction-space opera! I was in the Amazon Top Ten!!!!!

Movie-Addicted Writers Unite!

I have something awesome planned for you today! But first, thanks to everyone for your awesome comments regarding my next book. I was really overwhelmed!

Now I know you often wonder “Why does this writer blather on about movies all the time?” There is a connection! And to prove it, I have invited the awesome Melissa Bradley from Melissa’s Imaginarium to share her thoughts on the matter. Get ‘em, Melissa!

Books and Their Movie Counterparts: The Good, The Bad and The What Have They Done

Books and movies are two of my favorite things. I became a writer partly because of films that inspired me. They are integral part of our culture and let’s face it, when they do bring a novel to the big screen, it makes the writer me go “Yes!” There are some really great films born of novels. The Godfather, Gone With The Wind, To Kill A Mockingbird, Precious and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

On the other hand, there are instances of books into film that give me nightmares. These are the films that seem to have taken the novel source material, chucked it and merely used the name. They leave you scratching your head and wanting your money back. The director maniacally twists and turns the plot and the characters in his own image until it is almost unrecognizable from the book. Random Hearts comes to mind. They eliminated half the plot, changed the careers of the two leads and altered the very incident that brought them together. I wonder why they even bothered saying it was based on the novel? Legal action probably. And with novels from long dead authors it’s even worse. The last incarnation of Pride and Prejudice replaced Mr. Darcy with Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights and turned Elizabeth into a raging brat while giving her dialogue from other characters. I sat through both of these films going “What have they done?”

I tell you, sometimes what Hollywood does to a novel is beyond me. And it goes beyond the film treatment, it even permeates the very promotion of the movie itself. Remember back in the 90’s when Wynona Ryder and Susan Sarandon starred in Little Women? Some marketing genius got it into their head that Louisa May Alcott’s novel wasn’t good enough. So on book shelves everywhere appeared Little Women, the novelization of the screenplay based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott. WTF? Are you kidding me? They apparently thought that reading the actual novel would either not be cool or that we were too dumb to read the original.

As a writer and fan of movies, I dream of having my novel someday turned into a screenplay, but some of this stuff gives me nightmares. I can imagine them taking my werewolf and turning her into a vampire then making her a man.

Thanks, Melissa! (And crap, wouldn't that be scary?) Check out her really cool site, Melissa’s Imaginarium.

Now, who’s ready for a movie?