CassaSeries is Available! Plus Cherie Reich's Favorite Monsters, IWSG T-Shirt, Monster Trivia Answers, and Ninja News

CassaSeries releases today! But first…


I am visiting Beverly Stowe McClure at Story of a Writer with a short piece on the best and worst of writing.


And the super talented Cherie Reich joins us here today!

Cherie Reich’s 5 Favorite Horror Monsters/Villains

1. Pennywise from Stephen King’s It. A clown with very, very sharp teeth. Can we get any scarier?

2. Big Jim Rennie and Junior from Stephen King’s Under the Dome. I loathed them in the book, almost as much as Umbridge from Harry Potter. They were cruel, manipulative, and downright evil. I must admit I like them more in the TV series, although Big Jim is still quite manipulative and evil.

3. The aliens from M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs. These aliens are no E.T. or Alf. We may be their cattle, but at least we have water on our side. Strangely, I could have sworn I saw one in real life when I was a child (years before I watched the movie).

4. Michael Myers from John Carpenter’s Halloween series. My mom said she’d seen the movie while pregnant with me. I wonder what that says about us. Heh. I’m a big fan of the Halloween series, and my former housemate and I would spend hours discussing our theories about Michael Myers. No matter how slow he walks, he’s very persistent. Just be sure to cut off the right head, okay?

5. Jason from Friday the 13th series. A mother’s love can bring her creepy son back to life. Just be sure to stay away from lakes and cabins. And I have to admit seeing Jason beating one girl in a sleeping bag with another girl in a sleeping bag was the most memorable moment in Jason X.

What’s your favorite monster/villain from a horror book/movie?

A monster hunts us. After hibernating for a decade, it’s ravenous. We long to stop this nightmare, but the end of the road is far. There is no waking up once a legend sets its sights on you.

Purchase Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection by Cherie Reich at Amazon. From June 22-28, the collection is only $0.99!

Cherie Reich is a speculative fiction author and library assistant living in Virginia. Visit her website and blog for more information.

Ninja News

Nigel Mitchell posted about a Hemmingway app that can be used to improve your writing.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group t-shirt is available now! Designed by the very talented Jeremy Hawkins, members can now show their support and commitment to the group.

Purchase your IWSG shirt at the NeatOShop.

New Releases:

Summer Vacation Devotions by Tyrean Martinson includes fifteen devotions for families having fun on summer vacation and center around God's Word and activities like car trips, camping, building sandcastles and cooking s'mores. The author earnings will go to Peace Rehabilitation Center in Nepal to fight human trafficking.
Available as an eBook and paperback.

Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls and Gadgets
Featuring a story by Leandra Wallace
Find it at Amazon and Barnes and Noble

A Faerie’s Secret by Rachel Morgan
Book Four in the Creepy Hollow Series
Find it at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords

Movie Trivia Answers

1 – Hellraiser 1997 - Cenobites
2 – Reign of Fire 2002 - Dragons
3 – Near Dark 1987 - Vampires
4 – Lake Placid 1999 – Giant Crocodile
5 – Battleship 2012 - Aliens
6 – Deep Blue Sea 1999 - Sharks

Available today!

CassaSeries
By Alex J. Cavanaugh
ISBN 9781939844118
Price - $5.99 eBook boxed set
Science fiction/adventure (FIC028010) and science fiction/space opera (FIC028030)

The Amazon Best-Selling Series!

CassaStar - Few options remain for Byron. Slated to train as a Cosbolt pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth to his instructor, Bassa. As war brews on the edge of space, Bassa must make a decision that could decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission destined to stretch their abilities to the limit?

CassaFire - Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters behind him, the detection of alien ruins sends him to the planet of Tgren. Forced to train a Tgren named Athee and deal with an eager young scientist, he feels invaded. Tensions mount as the ruins reveal a potential weapon, plunging him further into the chaos. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

CassaStorm - Commanding the base on Tgren, Byron watches as a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the planet. When the war hits Tgren, it triggers nightmares in his son. The ancient alien ship begins transmitting a deadly code and the probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago returns. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

Find it at Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Goodreads


What is your favorite monster? (Mine would be Godzilla.) See some cool new books? Picking up the IWSG t-shirt? Get any of the trivia right? And if you’ve never read the trilogy, CassaSeries is a great bargain!

Don’t forget to visit Beverly Stowe McClure!

February Movie Preview!

It’s movie time again! Where the heck did the month go?

And I'm visiting the blog of Chris Phillips today with a song that inspired the writing of CassaStar. It’s a short piece – and also a cautionary tale for those who leave suggestive comments. (Read it and you’ll understand!)

1st -

DVD - Monsters
Excellent film! Haunting. Read my review HERE





4th -

Sanctum
Director: Alister Grierson
Stars: Rhys Wakefield, Allison Cratchley, Christopher Baker
The Plot: A diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to an unexplored cave system.
James Cameron is the producer, which bodes well for this film. And while this is based on a real event, it bears a striking resemblance to the horror film, The Cave. (Sans creepy monsters of course.)


11th -

Gnomeo and Juliet
Director: Kelly Asbury
Stars: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Maggie Smith
The Plot: An animated version of Shakespeare's play, where Gnomeo (voice of McAvoy) and Juliet (voice of Blunt) are would-be lovers from rival garden-based families.
Not holding my breath on this one, as the previews look cheesy…

15th -

DVD – Unstoppable
Another great movie – lots of action and tension. Read my review HERE




18th –

Unknown
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Stars: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones
The Plot: Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) awakens from a coma, only to discover that someone has taken on his identity and that no one -- not even his wife (Jones) -- believes him. With the help of a young woman (Kruger), he sets out to prove who he is.
If it’s done well, this one could be really good.

Vanishing on 7th Street (limited)
Director: Brad Anderson
Stars: Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo
The Plot: When a massive power blackout causes a city's population to vanish, a handful of survivors band together inside a tavern in an effort to survive as darkness approaches.
Anderson has done some great films (like Session 9) but so far early reviews are “eh.” Bummer, was really hoping for a good film… It’s free on Direct TV on the 16th, so I’ll still check it out.

I Am Number Four
Director: D.J. Caruso
Stars: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Dianna Agron
The Plot: Nine alien teens come to Earth after their planet is destroyed by an enemy species. But soon discover that their enemy is now after them on Earth.
I know so many are excited for this film, but after reading story behind the publisher and the writer (who earned a whole $500 for this tale and that's it) I’d rather not give money to that machine…


25th –

Drive Angry 3D
Director: Patrick Lussier
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner
The Plot: A felon (Cage) breaks out of hell for one last chance at redemption: to prevent the cult who murdered his daughter from sacrificing her baby in three days' time. He's aided by a young waitress (Heard) and her ex-boyfriend's muscle car, and together the duo will have to face down the leader of the cult, the police, and a killer known as "The Accountant" (Fichtner) -- who wants to return him to the Devil.
Expecting another cheesy fest in the same vein as Ghost Rider.

DVD – Megamind
I skipped this one in the theater, but I’m looking forward to seeing it on video.


All movie info and descriptions from the IMDB.





So, what are you catching next month?

Movie News and a Review

Two big movie releases this weekend.
I chose to see Unstoppable.
I think I made a wise choice.

Staring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine and directed by Tony Scott, Unstoppable is about a runaway train carrying toxic chemicals.

And the title fits perfectly!

This movie is fast, relentless, and never stops moving. It's the ultimate roller coaster ride. One critic called it "Perfect popcorn entertainment."

This movie does not break new ground nor is it perfect as a dramatic film. But you don't go to see Unstoppable expecting Oscar performances and a deep, thought-invoking plot. You go for the action!

Scott does an excellent job with the action - once things begin to roll, about ten minutes into the movie, the pace never lets up. The director maintains a high level of tension until the very end. And despite all of the crashes and explosions in the preview, there's really very little destruction and death. It's presented in a thrilling but realistic manner. Nothing appeared impossible or implausible.

The actors do a good job. Denzel is Denzel, full of charisma, and Chris Pine's character starts out as unlikeable, but grows over the course of the film. Rosario Dawson does a great job as the station manager working with Denzel and Pine.

And with any Tony Scott film, you have amazing visuals. His shots of the countryside, not to mention the trains, are fantastic. You see that speeding train from every angle possible - and from underneath is the wildest!

You want a fast-paced action flick that's not dumb? Go see Unstoppable!


In other movie news, Hollywood Spy posted a trailer for next year's Battle: Los Angeles and it looks both chilling and amazing. Looks like that alien invasion movie might live up to its hype!

Speaking of hype, have you read some of the reviews for Skyline over at Rotten Tomatoes? They're funny! Critics compare it to a SyFy original movie, a trip to Kmart, and just below a Roger Corman film. Said it made Independence Day look like a second coming of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Ouch!

If any of you ventured out to see it, let me know - was it really that bad?

Ultimately, I think it's a shame the studios chose to push Skyline instead of Monsters. Guess they felt tons of special effects would do better than a slow-paced, smaller film. I'll say it again - if it's playing near you, check out the sheer genius of Monsters. Critics of Skyline may claim that film making is best left to filmmakers, but the director of Monsters proves them wrong.

Time to write! How's everyone else doing with NaNo? Some new ideas hit me this morning and I'm ready to rock.

I Saw RED!

And no, I'm not referring to the old Warrent song.

Yes, I finally saw the movie RED. Megamind's reviews continued to plummet and Due Date looked more like a NetFlix rental.

RED

From the IMDB: When his idyllic life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last ditch effort to survive.

RED is a very funny movie. The characters are great and had their own humorous lines. The gang pulls off some clever stunts, not slick and cool like in the Ocean movies, but smart and sometimes desperate tricks.

There's some great action scenes, especially one at an airport that involves Malkovich taking down a woman with a bazooka. (She called him old man!) The pacing is slower than an out-and-out action flick, though. Sometimes it's a little too slow. But overall, RED is a fun ride with a lot of laughs.


I also read an interview with Monsters writer-director-effects-film crew, Gareth Edwards. Did you know that movie was filmed for only $15,000? Edwards took a small crew on location and filmed the whole thing for $15,000. (Another $500,000 was racked up during editing and processing.) The stars often ad-libbed their own lines and were a real life couple, now married. Many of the extras didn't even know they were being filmed for a movie, which added to the realism. I am now really impressed with the movie!!

I'm still on target with NaNo. And now I must get back to screwing with Byron's life. Yeah, it's a guilty pleasure!

How's everyone else doing with NaNo? Anybody see Megamind or Due Date?

Next Stop, Monsters, Awards, and CassaStar Made a Best List!

Today’s stop is at Stephen’s awesome site, Breakthrough Blogs. He interviews Byron and Bassa!

And thanks to those who visited Spunk on a Stick’s Tips yesterday as I shared about my character's telepathic abilities.

This came through my Google Alerts – wow! Top 5 List of Best Debut Sci-fi Books by New Writers CassaStar is on the list!!!

And a fan review from Randall at Not the Baseball Pitcher! Thanks, Randall - glad you enjoyed the book.

I caught Monsters last night on HDNet -

Six years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.

A haunting movie, with an equally haunting score, Monsters is slow-paced. It's more of a character study than anything else - and surprise, it's also a romance.
The scenery is incredible, both the natural landscape and the devastation. The monsters are amazing - what the crew achieved with next to no budget will astound you. The characters are quite real and I appreciated the lack of stereotypes.
An original work of science fiction, drama, and romance, Monsters is quite an achievement, and I highly recommend it.

I’ve also been hoarding awards!!

First came from Lydia at The World is My Oyster – the A is for Awesome Award. Is that not cool? Awesome Alex thanks you, Lydia!

I’m passing it on to Cruella at The Giraffability of Digressions

Next, Clarissa at Listen to the Voices gave me the Cherry on Top Award – thanks Clarissa!

I’m passing it on to Laura at A Shift in Dimensions

Krista Lynne Jensen gave me the I’m a Literary Builder Award – thanks, Krista!

My five favorite words:
Anathema
Counterintuitive
Acrostic (not that I’m good at it)
Really? (must be said in loud exasperation as someone does something stupid)
Sex (hey, just being honest!)

I’m passing it on to Colene at The Journey

Finally, Charity at My Writing Journey gave me the Sunshine Award! Since I’ve received it before, I’ll just thank Charity for her kindness!

Friday wraps up my tour – whew!

October Movie Preview

Time for a rundown of some interesting flicks hitting the big screen this month!

1 –

The Social Network
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake
Synopsis: A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook.
You always wanted to know, didn’t you?

Let Me In
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Chloe Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Richard Jenkins
Synopsis: A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.
Based on the foreign film, Let The Right One In, this remake appears identical to the original. Other than the fact Americans are too lazy to read subtitles, there’s no reason to remake this film - the original was brilliant!

8 –

Secretariat
Directed By: Randall Wallace
Staring: Diane Lane, John Malkovich,
Synopsis: Based on the remarkable true story, "Secretariat" chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner.
Likely to be formulaic, at least you know it has a happy ending.

15 –

RED
Directed By: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich
Synopsis: Based on the cult D.C. Comics graphic novels by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, RED is an explosive action-comedy…
Helen Mirren shooting an automatic weapon - need I say more?

22 -

Hereafter
Director: Clint Eastwood
Staring: Matt Damon, Cecile De France
Synopsis: Tells the story of three people who are touched by death in different ways.
Eastwood is an outstanding director, but I predict this movie will be incredibly depressing.

29 -

Monsters (limited)
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able
Synopsis: Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear and grow.
Judging from the trailer, this one looks creepy and atmospheric! Really looking forward to this film.

Today is also the first day of NaBloWriMo – blogging every day for the month of October. I’ll be taking Arlee Bird’s A-Z approach and only post once on the weekends. And since my virtual tour starts in two weeks, there’s a lot happening this month!

Seven Things....

Zoe at No Letters on my Keyboard gave me the Versatile Blogger award and wanted me to list seven things about myself. I’m rather boring, so instead I give you seven fascinating science fiction news flashes!

First is a big shout-out to Angela at Jaded Love Junkie! She was my 200 followers giveaway winner and received a review copy from my publisher. She got the book on Friday and posted her review yesterday – and she liked CassaStar! (Much to my relief!) Visit her BLOG to read the review, which really highlights what’s important about my book. Thanks, Angela! I don’t have to hide my head in shame… Stargate Universe, the third series in the Stargate family, has a few surprise guests for its second season – David Hewlett as Dr. Rodney McKay and Robert Picardo as Commander Richard Woosley, both from Stargate: Atlantis, will make guest appearances. And here I thought the series was doomed… Don’t forget Sharktopus! This train-wreck of a movie debuts on the SyFy channel September 25. This can be science fiction, depending on your selections – the TOP 10 TV SHOWS Blogfest! It’s MONDAY! There were 60 signed up for The Movie Dirty Dozen – I’d like to hit 70 for this one. Tell all your friends!!! Sign up and blog about YOUR favorite TV shows!

Movie review – The Book of Eli The reviews were so mixed on this film that I waited to see it on NetFlix. It’s atmospheric, almost like a graphic novel come to life. Denzel Washington is the hero, heading west with a book – the last remaining Bible – in a post-apocalyptic world. He comes upon a town run by Gary Oldman (ever the chameleon character) who is searching for a Bible so that he can control the residents with the power of the Word. The critics had issues with things that didn’t bother me. However, this is an awkwardly paced film. It’s very slow and dark – as in, sometimes you can’t see the character’s faces it’s so dark. It sets a unique tone, one that will not set well with everyone. If not for the big revelation at the end – and the purpose of Washington’s character heading west – I would’ve written it off as an average film. That made it all worthwhile for me. Have you seen the trailer for Monsters?