KNOWLEDGEABLE - A to Z Challenge

It’s the third A to Z Challenge! Blog the letters of the alphabet in order every day except Sundays The participation list is HERE – start with the blog after yours and visit at least five blogs a day. Mostly, make new friends and have fun!

My theme – I have selected a word for each day and will present to you blogger buddies who fit that description, along with movies, music, etc. My theme is to give back, highlight some awesome bloggers, and have fun in the process.

KNOWLEDGEABLE

Mooderino at Moody Writing
I read a lot of writing tips online, but no one beats Moody. Her posts are precise and easy to understand. She is a sheer writing genius! If you are a writer, you need to be following the very generous Moody.

Lydia Kang at The World is My Oyster
Lydia is sharp in so many ways. In addition to being a soon-to-be-published author, she is a doctor. Yes, a real MD! Her “Medical Mondays” cover all sorts of topics, giving writers ammunition for killing or harming their characters. Don’t let that scare you though – Lydia is just a sweetheart.

Maurice at The Geek Twins
Maurice (and his brother) run a sharp science fiction site. They are on top of the latest stories, giving readers things they might not find elsewhere. The focus is movies, but you will find all sorts of geeky fun on their site. Maurice recently opened up The Geek Twins to guest posts and I was honored to receive the first invite. Sadly, due to my crazy schedule, that won’t happen until June. Until then, for all your science fiction and geek news and updates, check out The Geek Twins.

Agent Pendergast and Sherlock Holmes
Preston and Child’s beloved character of Agent Pendergast of the FBI is most certainly based on the Arthur Conan Doyle's character, Sherlock Holmes. Both have an amazing wealth of knowledge at their disposal and an eidetic memory. And once the game is afoot, they always solve the case.

NINJA NEWS

Charity Bradford secured a publisher - Sendek: The Magic Wakes will be a book soon. Congratulations, Chairty! And here you were so worried about sending out queries…

Facebook just spent one BILLION dollars to acquire the site Instagram. And no one in the world knows why…

And don’t forget the First Loves Blogfest on May 14 – First loves of movies, music, books, and person.

Following Moody, Lydia, and Maurice? Fan of Preston and Child or Sherlock Holmes? Know why on earth Facebook would spend a billion dollars on a tiny site with a free app that converts nice, clean photos into faded Polaroids? Who would you classify as knowledgeable?

Movie Reviews and Ninja News

Thanks for commenting on my guest post on blogging tips and CassaFire news at Susan Roebuck’s site last Friday, and for making Brinda Berry feel so welcome here.

Some really important announcements today but first the reviews:

Underworld: Evolution

A reviewer on JoBlo’s site said it best – if you’re a fan of the first three, you’ll dig it. (Which means if you hate the series, I doubt this movie will change your mind.) It’s not a great movie, but I was entertained for the duration.

This movie was on a smaller scale and probably with a smaller budget – but you couldn’t tell from the special effects. It also had a storyline that was touching and intricate involving Selene’s daughter. It had kick-butt action, with fights, chase scenes, and explosions (including exploding lycans.) And of course – it had Kate Beckinsale, looking as stunning as ever! My quest this year is to find Selene’s outfit and convince my wife to wear it around the house. (Wish me luck.)

Attack the Block

This British alien invasion movie was also done on a small scale with a virtually unknown cast. The movie opens with a teen gang in South London robbing one of their neighbors. (Over the course of the film, they manage to redeem themselves.) The gang kills a strange looking creature and soon find themselves defending their block against vicious aliens.
This movie was a load of fun! It’s a fun monster movie in the same vein as Tremors with even more action and humor. The actors are great – their banter hilarious - and the aliens effective. It’s colorful in language but not excessively gory.
If you’re looking for something fresh and new, rent this movie for action and laughs!

Now on to the news…

Sign ups for the A to Z Challenge open in one week! Don’t forget the video challenge/contest.

Mark at Aloha, and Hi! from Hawaii is co-writing a memoir about a singer who lost and then regained his voice. He is hosting a giveaway for singer Donald Braswell which includes several CDs.

Melissa Sugar is hosting the Get Fired Up Blogfest and encouraging others to mentor and help a struggling blogger. One of the prizes is a Kindle Fire! Read about it HERE and HERE.



If you’re getting ready to set up a book tour, Spunk on a Stick’s Tips has some great tips.

If you’re looking for some awesome writing tips, Mooderino at Moody Writing always posts the best.

Jessica Bell’s book, Twisted Velvet Chains, is now just ninety-nine cents at Amazon US and Amazon UK.

Big thanks to Helen Ginger at Straight From Hel for her review of CassaStar this weekend. Another science fiction convert!

Patricia (author pm terrell) gave me the All Around Wonderful Blog Award. Thank you, Patricia!
I am passing it along to:
LisaAnn at Kicked, Cornered, Bitten, and Chased
Patsy Collins
Marta Szemik

And finally, voting opened Saturday evening at You Gotta Read Videos for the best book trailer submitted the month of January. CassaFire is number ten and yes, I will grovel for votes. CassaStar came in second last year, and since prizes this year include free advertising on their websites, I’d really like CassaFire’s trailer to be in the top three. Go vote HERE

And if you haven’t seen the trailer for CassaFire, created by my awesome publisher, Dancing Lemur Press:



Seen either of those movies? Entered any of the blogfests? Planned your A to Z Challenge posts? Vote for my trailer? I will grovel…