Special Thanks and News! Plus New Thor Poster, Comedy Movie Trivia, Ninja News, and Bizarre Photo

Today I am a guest of Mathew Bridle’s at The One Saga! Stop by to read my short interview.

Special Thanks and Fun News!

A big thanks to everyone who made the two-year anniversary of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group special! It was truly amazing and I’m glad everyone is excited about the upcoming website.
A big round of thanks to my co-hosts - Chemist Ken, SL Hennessy, Michelle Wallace, and Joylene Nowell Butler. You guys rocked it!
And special thanks to Elizabeth Seckman - her post was touching and funny. Elizabeth, honored to be your friend.

Sometime this week I slipped over 1900 followers through GFC. Whoa, thanks guys! I appreciate every single one of you. (There’s a slew of followers through Linky Followers, Google+, RSS Feed, and other readers like Feedly, so no idea just how many follow me now…)

I’m also now a Suvudu Preferred Poster, which is really cool

All in all, an awesome week!

Ninja News

Karen Lange’s book is now available – Homeschool Co-opts 101. If you homeschool your kids, check it out. Congratulations, Karen!

The first installment of A Shot in the Light, an Apocalypse Conspiracy Tale by Hart Johnson is available now! And there were some great entries in her blogfest yesterday. Congratulations, Hart!

Jai Joshi just released Bhishma, Son of Ganga. Congratulations, Jai!

Liesel Hill’s new book is out, Dark Remnants, and it’s 99 cents on Amazon for a limited time. Congratulations, Liesel!

Isis Rushdan revealed the cover for her next book – Protector of the Flame. Looks cool, Isis!



And Lynn Rush is running a marathon to raise money to fight cancer! Check her site for details on how you can help.

Movie Trivia

Comedy today! Name the movie from the quote:

1 – “When someone asks if you are a god, you say YES!”

2 – “You made a woman meow?”

3 – “What is the matter with you? I thought Mothers were sweet and nice a-a-and patient. I know loan sharks who are more forgiving than you. Your husband ain't dead, lady. He's hiding.”

4 – “He’s an angry elf.”

5 – “Eddie, Eddie, I swear to God, don't start with me or so help me, I will shoot him and dump him in a ___ swamp!”

6 – “I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank piña coladas. At sunset, we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get *that* day over, and over, and over... “

Answers on Monday!

Cool New Movie Poster and Bizarre Image

Caught this over at JoBlo’s site - a new Thor: The Dark World poster featuring the villain, Malekith.

And from Blastr - this bizarre image of a Planet of the Apes float in the 1975 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

That’s right folks – you can’t make this stuff up!

Everyone enjoy the IWSG posts this week and the news of the website? Excited about the new books? Know any of the movie trivia? Excited about Thor: The Dark World? Anyone else seeing Riddick this weekend? Don’t forget to visit The One Saga!

Monday kicks off my official CassaStorm tour and it involves some snarky cats. Bet you’re intrigued now…

Pop Culture and a Quiz

Thanks to everyone who shared stories of connecting online on Wednesday’s Post! Some of the comments were very moving. You guys rock!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is at eighty-five percent on Rotten Tomatoes, so I’ll probably see it this weekend…


Now for some interesting things I discovered this week…


Ben & Jerry’s has a new flavor - Boba Fett's Carbonite Crunch!

Complete with chocolate frozen Han Solos.

Too bad it’s a fake - I’d eat that!


IPad rumors…

The iPad 3 could come out around Thanksgiving. But there’s also an iPad 2 HD in development that might push it back to next year. Hey, I’ll take either!


And a Swedish man was arrested for trying to split atoms at home. Claimed it was just a hobby. And I thought my hobbies were weird…


Now for a short Pop Quiz! Winners will receive a warm, fuzzy feeling:

What was the band Blue Oyster Cult’s original name back in the sixties?

Which movie franchise boasts the most film titles?

When did the first VCR appear on the market?

How many movies have made over a billion dollars? And can you name them without cheating?

All right, let's hear your answers! And your thoughts on the ice cream. Would you eat a chocolate Han Solo?

Thanks, Technology, and August Movie Preview

Thanks to everyone who commented on CassaFire's cover and synopsis HERE! I just found out the release date has been bumped up a bit – February 28, 2012. I have six months to panic…

Today’s Fantastic Friday Writers topic is technology.

It’s a given that science fiction involves technology. Whether set in present day, the future, or a distant galaxy, new devices and gadgets will appear. Some people revel in technology. Some want it simple so the story moves along. Others shy away from it.

It’s no secret I dig computers, tech toys, and gadgets. Heck, I’ve hooked up so many components to the TV, my wife doesn’t even know how to turn it on! But since I work with it every day, I didn’t want to focus on it in my writing. Sure, there are spaceships and teleporters, but I don’t delve into the details. I put in just enough to make it plausible. It’s there, just simple.

Besides, I have no idea how a teleporter works, do you?

Check with my FFW partners Elizabeth, Anastasia, J. D., Deirdre, M. Pax, and Jeffrey, and Charlene for their take on technology.

Time for August movie releases! It’s a quiet month for movies, so I threw in two DVD releases as well. All descriptions courtesy of the IMDB.

2 -

DVD - Rio
Very colorful and fun animated flick. I reviewed it HERE.



5 -

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Stars: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto
The Plot: In present day San Francisco, a scientist (Franco) looks for a cure for Alzheimer's disease by experimenting on a chimpanzee named Caesar. The development of animal intelligence brings about a war for supremacy between humans and apes.
Not impressed with the trailer - the CGI apes do not look real. I also don’t buy that there are enough apes in San Francisco to take over the city. This one will need outstanding reviews to get me into the theater.


16 -

DVD - Priest
“Eh” reviews meant I skipped it in the theater, but will catch on NetFlix.



19 -

Conan the Barbarian
Director: Marcus Nispel
Stars: Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan
The Plot: Muscle-bound warrior Conan the Cimmerian (Momoa) seeks to avenge the murder of his father and the slaughter of his village.
Conan the Barbarian. Momoa from Stargate:Atlantis. Need I say more? Oh, and it’s rated R - can’t have a PG13 barbarian film! They do it right, this could be the start of an awesome franchise.

Fright Night
Director: Craig Gillespie
Stars: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, David Tennant
The Plot: Teenager Charley Brewster (Yelchin) guesses that his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths. When no one he knows believes him, he enlists Peter Vincent (Tennant), the opportunistic host of his favorite TV show, to help him take down Jerry and his guardian.
The first Fright Night was fun. This remake is going to have to do something really awesome to even come close, especially without Roddy McDowall. Again, a wait and see what the critics think…

Cowboys and Aliens this weekend! Who's with me? And what movies catch your interest? Or are you still confused about the technology...?