Movies, Music, and a Humbling Surprise

I was stunned yesterday when looking through the blogs I follow – my book was featured at The Roads of Autumn Dusk!!! Thanks so much, Rogue Evolent. That really made my day. The cover is up at Prinkipria's site as well. Guess I need to get used to that, but it's kinda humbling.

I was also stunned when I hit 100 followers on Friday! Thanks everyone. I will draw a name soon and contact the person to be featured.

Saw this over at Jo Blo’s site - JJ Abrams is up to tricks again with his mystery flick, Super 8. Scariest Thing I Ever Saw is the website for this movie and there’s speculation that a trailer will appear on May 15. He got us with Cloverfield – and now he’s doing it again!

Everybody’s getting a reboot – look for a new Godzilla flick in 2012 and a prequel to Planet of the Apes called Rise of the Apes in 2011.

Arlee at Tossing It Out is hosting a Fifteen Fantasy Island Favorites blogfest. On Monday, May 17, we’ll be talking about our fifteen favorite albums. Arlee has a signup at his blog, so join in the fun.

For those of you looking for some interesting music with a science fiction twist – check out Star One.
One of Arjen A. Lucassen’s many projects, Star One was a tribute to some of the great science fiction movies of recent times. Some of the songs are a little goofy – “The Eye of Ra” a tribute to Stargate – and some are awesome – “Master of Darkness” a tribute to Empire Strikes Back. If you like progressive rock with a science fiction twist, check it out at Arjen’s site and have a listen.

Now, go enjoy your weekend!

Oh, and thanks to everyone who gave their input Thursday. I now have a rough outline for the sequel to CassaStar and will begin working on it soon.

Tech, News, and Other Stuff

Interesting news to kick off your weekend!

Go check out the latest issue from Prinkipria

Today is Summer’s birthday! Go wish her a happy birthday at And This Time Concentrate!

The iPad will soon have competition! Numerous other tablets are in the making, but the next big one will likely be Google’s, which uses Android. It also supports Flash. So far, I’ve not really missed the Flash on my iPad – so many sites are moving away from Flash.
I’m still digging my iPad, too. I think I have thirty apps downloaded now. The keyboard is so easy to use – it’s as wide as the iPad itself. If you have an opportunity, definitely check it out!

Starcraft II finally has a release date!!!!! July 27, 2010. Never thought I’d see that date in my lifetime…

And I am SO close to 100 followers! Okay, I can't give away a cash prize or anything, but... When I hit 100, I will randomly select one of those followers and do a special feature just for them! How's that?


I was tagged by Raquel Byrnes and Shannon at Faith, Hope, and Love

Okay, ladies, I'll play along...

For a "Tag" you answer 5 questions 5 times to share a bit about yourself. So here goes.

Question 1 - Where were you five years ago?
Working for a contract company
Five years younger
Here in the same house
Not yet ready to pursue my author goals
Did I mention five years younger?

Question 2 - Where would you like to be in five years?
An author with three books published
Doing more freelance work
Five years younger (I know, that can’t happen!)
Making a difference
With enough time to watch every movie released. Wait, I pretty much have that now...

Question 3 - What is on your to-do list today?
Play guitar
Fix the stove (That one’s been there a while)
Work on next book
Watch Stargate Universe
Spend time with my wife

Question 4 - What snacks do you enjoy?
Hot Tamales
Nachos
Pizza
Veggies
Okay, I’m a guy – I’d eat about anything

Question 5 - What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?
Make sure my family and friends never worked again
Take care of my church
Tour the world
Buy a Bugatti
Build my own personal movie theater – with free popcorn!

The rules are that I get to pass the Tag along to 5 Bloggers I admire....
Fallen Formulates Fiction
Spunk on a Stick
Cassandra Jade
Karen-Coming Down the Mountain
B. Miller


Okay, now back to work...

Variety

Continuing the A-Z Challenge from Arlee at Tossing it Out

Today is V – Variety


When it comes to my life, I like stability - but as far as my entertainment and interests, I like variety! So I found some interesting tidbits for everyone -

Prinkipria is looking for book reviewers! In return for providing them with one honest review each month (of any new book fantasy, sci-fi, horror or related) they are willing to offer that person:
· A direct link to that person's blog or website that would appear at the end of each review
· A thumbnail photo
· A one-paragraph bio
· Free listing on the teleporter" page
· 50% off any available advertising slot
Prinkipria is a great new site, so check it out!

On May 20, I will have the honor of hosting science fiction author, David J. Williams, here on my blog. He has agreed to answer some questions for an interview and I will post it just prior to the release of Machinery of Light, the third book in the Autumn Rain series.





Arlee at Tossing it Out gave out an award to all of us participating in the A-Z Challenge – thanks!

Remember my review of How to Train Your Dragon several weeks ago? This is the little movie who could – it’s #1 at the box office again, quietly beating out all new releases, and now sits at $178 million in the USA, and $354,521,000 world-wide.

In case you missed it, Avatar came out last Thursday on DVD - and surpassed The Dark Knight as the fastest-selling Bluray DVD, selling more than 4 million total DVDs in its first day. (Its grand total at the world-wide box office is $2,717,023,267.)

You knew this was bound to happen! In the Tech World, Porn Leads the Way - an article about the porn industry capitalizing on the new iPad.
(Certainly not on MY iPad, though! And yes, I still love my new iPad.)

Fritz Lang’s 1927 classic, Metropolis, will be re-released with lost footage in theaters in May and on DVD later this year – visit JoBlo’s website for details.

And I finally got to see a semi-final draft of my cover art last week and posted it here - CassaStar

Any other interesting tips, news, or items you'd like to add? The more the merrier - and the greater the variety.

Prinkipria - Tales of the Fantastic

Came across this site and upcoming ezine, which focuses on sci-fi and fantasy.

Prinkipria's site is still under construction and the ezine will not release until March. But one can still explore and get a feel for what they are creating. It will cover books, movies & TV, games, technology... my kind of stuff! So will be watching this site come March.

Some other great sites I follow if you need a good sci-fi book fix-

Sci-Fi Guy is run by Doug Knipe and he'll keep you up to date on the latest releases and reviews.

Only the Best Sci-fi/Fantasy three writers here - Alec, Michael, and Bryce - and they do an awesome roundup of information.

And Dezmond at Hollywood Spy is my go-to guy for the latest in movie news!

Also, for book bloggers, John has some fantastic tips at Grasping for the Wind

Enjoy!