Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Dark Matter: Artificial, WW84 Review, Jo Wake’s Tribute Blogfest, and New Releases

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.


The awesome co-hosts for the January 6 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise - Fundy Blue!


Want to know more about the IWSG? Operation Awesome recommends it and has a post up about it this week. Check it out!


January 6 question - Being a writer, when you're reading someone else's work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people's books?

Characters I don’t care about. That’s a deal-breaker. Oh, and way too much exposition. I don’t want pages and pages of description.

IWSG Anthology winners!!!

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the Dark Matter IWSG Anthology Contest:
Stephanie Espinoza Villamor
CD Gallant-King
Kim Mannix
Steph Wolmarans
Tara Tyler
Deniz Bevan
Charles Kowalski
Olga Godim
Elizabeth Mueller
Mark Alpert

Dark Matter: Artificial

An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

Discover dark matter’s secrets…

What is an AI’s true role? Will bumbling siblings find their way home from deep space? Dark matter is judging us—are we worthy of existence? Would you step through a portal into another reality? Can the discoverer of dark matter uncover its secrets?

Ten authors explore dark matter, unraveling its secrets and revealing its mysterious nature. Featuring the talents of Stephanie Espinoza Villamor, C.D. Gallant-King, Tara Tyler, Mark Alpert, Olga Godim, Steph Wolmarans, Charles Kowalski, Kim Mannix, Elizabeth Mueller, and Deniz Bevan.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents, authors, and editors, these ten tales will take readers on a journey across time and space. Prepare for ignition!

Release date: May 4, 2021
Print ISBN 9781939844828 $14.95
EBook ISBN 9781939844835 $4.99
Science Fiction: Collections & Anthologies (FIC028040) / Space Exploration (FIC028130) / Genetic Engineering (FIC028110)

Big thanks to the official judges:
Dan Koboldt
Julie Gwinn
Damien Larkin
Ion Newcombe
Colleen Oefelein
Lynda R. Young
David Powers King

Movie Review – Wonder Woman 1984

We watched this Christmas Day on HBO Max and will see it again this Friday in the theater.
Not as good as the first one, but expectations were super high as the first was a near-perfect origins story.
I liked the chemistry between Gadot and Pine. Felt genuine. Kristen Wiig was also really good as Barbara/Cheetah.
The action scenes were great, especially the desert car chase.
On the downside, it was a bit too long – some scenes could’ve been cut. It also needed a little more Wonder Woman, although I get they were focusing on Diana’s development. Also, Cheetah’s real origin story is much more interesting.
It may sound like I am really knocking it, but if the first movie wasn’t out there, I wouldn’t be so picky. It’s still really enjoyable and entertaining film. I look forward to seeing it again and any other sequels they would like to give us.
Recommended.

New Releases

Rain by Lisa Buie-Collard

The past is not an easy force to be reckoned with.

Find it on Amazon

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir by JQ Rose
Follow this couple’s inspiring story, filled with the joy and triumphs and the obstacles and failures experienced as they travel along the turbulent path of turning dreams of being entrepreneurs in the flower business into reality.
Find it on Amazon

Beware the Jade Christmas: A Christmas Ghost Story by Roland Yeomans
Audible Audiobook – Unabridged
Welcome to New Orleans, Christmas Eve, 1946.
Find it on Amazon

Park Avenue Blondes by Ruth Harris
For fans of Nora Ephron—Women’s Fiction Meets Cozy Mystery in the Big Apple.
Find it on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and Google Play.

In Honor of Jo Wake

A very dear friend passes away on December 16 – Jo Wake at Jo on Food, Life, and a Scent of Chocolate. She was part of the Dragon Fellowship, known as Grandma Dragon to us, and we have decided to do something in her honor.

On February 6, share a recipe that brings them warm memories of friendship and love in honor of blogger Josephine “Jo” Wake who passed away December 16, 2020.

Ready for Dark Matter: Artificial? Picking up some new books? Participating in Jo’s tribute blogfest? Seen WW84 yet? And can you help co-host the IWSG in the next few months?

The Martian Reviewed, Godzilla and King Kong, America’s Got Talent, Iron Maiden and Muse Album Reviews, and Ninja News!

Entertainment News

The upcoming film, The Martian, was just reviewed at the Toronto International Film Festival.
According to JoBlo’s site -
As such, The Martian really is terrific family entertainment. There's plenty of action – including excellent use of 3D and tons of humor, but the absolute best thing is how inspiring a tale it winds up being. It's nice to see a big studio flick that aims for optimism and certainly it feels like a crowd-pleasing hit waiting to happen. Even if you're burnt out on space movies – this is a trip to Mars well-worth taking.
That’s good to know!

Caught this on several sites, including Deadline. Godzilla and King Kong might appear in a movie together.
Blastr had this to say -
Studio shake-up bringing Godzilla and King Kong together for eventual face off According to the report, the eventual team-up film will follow after Godzilla 2 and Skull Island, and everyone involved is working quickly to lock up all the necessary rights and contracts. Agreements are also being worked up with Japan-based Toho, rightsholder for Godzilla. For what it’s worth, Skull Island is set to open in March 2017 and Godzilla 2 is slated for July 2018. Following that trend, we’d imagine Godzilla vs. King Kong (or whatever they call it) will hit the big screen around 2019(?)
My thoughts?
First, they talk as if this will be a first. Um, anyone else remember 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla? (Note the image there.)
Second, it should be a short film. Godzilla has atomic breath. Gorilla flambé in three, two, one…

America’s Got Talent
The show is heading into the final week of its tenth season. What’s amazing is there are six comedian and/or magicians remaining out of ten acts. Obviously, people are wanting to laugh more than anything.
While I’m still surprised Siro-A didn’t make the final cut, I’m placing my bets on Paul Zerdin, the ventriloquist. The dude is talented and hilariously funny!

Face Off
In its ninth season, Face Off is nearing the halfway point. If you’ve never watched an episode, check it out at least once. It’s fascinating how the contestants go from concept to finished creation in just three days.
Hard to tell who will win this one, as none of the contestants really stand out yet…

Music Reviews

Iron Maiden – The Book of Souls
Whoever thought Iron Maiden wasn’t relevant anymore hasn’t heard this new album. These guys have released one of their best albums in the twilight of their career.
There are many stand out tracks, including Speed of Light, The Great Unknown, and Tears of a Clown. (The last one is about Robin Williams and those who suffer from depression.)
If you don’t like Maiden, this won’t change your mind. If you do like Maiden, then rock on!

Muse – Drones
Here’s a band that I’ve always dug, but their pop and electronic influences never hooked me enough to buy an album. Drones definitely changed that for me.
Whatever you thought of Muse in the past, this is a rock album. Produced by the great Mutt Lang, this album has influences from Radiohead, Queen, Pink Floyd, and about a hundred other bands, all blended together to make a great record.
Check it out!

Ninja News

At the Insecure Writer’s Support Group site today, we are honored to have special guest, New York Times best-selling author, Ruth Harris! She’s discussing The Creative Habit, so stop by.

Today’s Themes That Rocked the Challenge feature at the A to Z Blog is on Elizabeth Mueller and her art, flower, and My Little Pony theme. Those three things together? You bet – go check it out.

If you missed it, Shady Dell posted Shawn and Gus from Psych competing in Rock Jeopardy – with Alex J. Cavanaugh Trebek hosting. And it’s hilarious!

Don’t forget the IWSG Anthology Contest is open until November 1! The theme is Alternate History/Parallel Universe and any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging (must post for the IWSG at least once in September or October) or Facebook member. Winners will be published in a royalty-paying anthology next year.

I’ve been asked to contribute to an anthology with the theme of ‘turning points.’ Still working on an idea and hope to plot it and begin writing by next weekend. Yeah, wish me luck…

And those of you who’ve read Dragon of the Stars, don’t forget the follow-up short story, Dragon’s Destiny, is yours for free. Just email me and tell me what happens to Aden at the then of Dragon of the Stars and which eBook version you need – ePub, Mobi, or a PDF.

Awesome new release!
The Amaranthine by Murees Dupé
Find it on Amazon (paperback), Amazon Kindle, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Scribed, Inktera, Oyster, Tolino, and Goodreads

The Affected BOGO is Upon Us…
Author Randi Lee is running a buy one, get one promotion for two of her books: purchase a copy of Randi Lee’s “Affected” between September 14—22, 2015 and receive a free eBook version of “Snap! A Quite Quick Collection.” To receive your free eBook, e-mail a copy of your receipt for the purchase of “Affected” to: randi.leeATmail.com.
Find Affected on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powell’s, and Kobo

Anyone excited to see The Martian this fall? Think Godzilla vs. King Kong is a good idea? Watching Face Off? Fan of either Maiden or Muse? Entering the anthology contest? Read Dragon of the Stars yet? See a book you want? And who’s your favorite on America’s Got Talent…?

Riff Trax Live – Anaconda! Plus the Trick-or-Treat Bloghop, Living Dead Girl, Alex the Author, and Ninja News

Riff Trax!

This Thursday, October 30 2014 is the next RiffTrax Live - the guys from MST3K strike at 1997's ANACONDA!
You can visit their site for a theater showing the broadcast, and if you live near Durham, NC, you can see it live. That’s right – time to hit the road north! I’m very stoked to see Mike, Kevin, and Bill do the show in person. I’ll give you a full review of the experience on Monday.

A Little Halloween Tune

Since it’s almost Halloween, if you’d like a little scary music while you read the rest of this post, just click play and enjoy Rob Zombie’s Living Dead Girl:

Ninja News

We are VERY honored to have million-copy NYTimes bestselling author, Ruth Harris, at the IWSG Site today!

The IWSG has also expanded with a second group on Facebook – the IWSG Critique Circle.

The aim of that group is to put writers who want to exchange critiques and find beta readers in touch with each other. And of course, there's the support and encouragement with the WiPs. So check it out!

Jeff Chapman’s Give Me Your Teeth: A Fae Tale comes out this Friday on Halloween!

Like most children, ten-year old Jimmy wonders where the Tooth Fairy keeps all those teeth.

He learns there's more to his mother than he ever imagined, and the Tooth Fairy isn't so harmless.

You can pre-order it now on Amazon.

Cindy is looking for guest reviewers for Good Book Alert. In return for a review, the guest reviewer will receive one guest post on the site. In both posts, your book/bio information will be posted as well. Visit Good Book Alert for details.

Sylvia Ney is holding a NaNo contest and giveaway – visit her site for details!

J E Oneil alerted me to this freaky story –

The ghastly Lake Natron, in northern Tanzania, is a salt lake—meaning that water flows in, but doesn’t flow out, so it can only escape by evaporation. Over time, as water evaporates, it leaves behind high concentrations of salt and other minerals, like at the Dead Sea and Utah’s Great Salt Lake.

Unlike those other lakes, though, Lake Natron is extremely alkaline, due to high amounts of the chemical natron (a mix of sodium carbonate and baking soda) in the water. The water’s pH has been measured as high as 10.5—nearly as high as ammonia.

You have to see the stunning images of birds turned to stone by the water at the Smithsonian Mag! In black and white, they are haunting.

And thanks to everyone who weighed in on Monday’s post - Are Authors Killing Blogging? There were some really detailed and thoughtful comments weighing in on promotion overload. If you missed it, go back and check it out.

Trick-or-Treat Book Bloghop!

Hosted by Patricia Lynne

The theme is EBooks are the Candy. We’re giving away books to one or more lucky commenters.

Hashtag #trickortreatreads

My treat for one lucky commenter is your choice:

EBook copies of all three of my books or

One print copy of your choice (CassaStar, CassaFire, or CassaStorm) with swag or

One print review copy of Dragon of the Stars (when available)

Just say Trick-or-Treat in comments to enter – winner will be announced Monday.

Alex the Author

Since I’m trying to put more of me here, I thought I’d give a unique run-down of what I’ve written. Some of you might not know what I write. Yes, it is mostly science fiction, but of the lighter space opera variety. (Think Star Wars.)

Sometimes it's wild to look back and think Holy crap, did I do that? This journey wasn't planned. I mean, how do you predict all of this - the blog, the books, the IWSG, the friendships? I'm grateful for the opportunity though.

CassaStar
The original version was written in the 70’s when I was a teen. Thirty years later, I rewrote it, and the story will always have a special place in my heart. Yes, this book started it all. I wouldn't be here otherwise.

CassaFire
Readers wanted a sequel. And a female character. (Crap!) Fortunately, I had a short story I could rewrite and I knew the main character well now. I wrote this during NaNo 2010. So if you’re participating in NaNo this year, if I can do it, you can do it!

CassaStorm
This story came from scratch and took me a long time to pull together. I’m proudest of this one, especially the fact I was able to write a convincing ten-year-old boy. (And I don’t even have kids!)

Heroes of PHENOMENA
I was invited to contribute to an anthology that tied in with a CD. I chose the song Drakon’s Empire and wrote a short story called CassaFate. I actually had to cut words to hit the 1500 word limit. (That has never happened before. Trust me!)

Indiestructible: Inspiring Stories from the Publishing Jungle
I was also asked to contribute to this anthology. I wrote a piece about the power of networking and having an online presence. (I sure as heck wasn’t going to offer any writing tips. I wanted to help not hinder.)

How I Found the Write Path: A Compilation of Letters
My letter was Prepare for Changes. Yeah, big time!

Overcoming Adversity
This book was a fund raiser for Andrew, who sadly passed away. My contribution was My Friends, My Heroes

Coming soon -

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond
Available this December, this book features over a hundred articles on writing, publishing, and marketing. So much good information! Ironically the word count is higher than any of my books…



Dragon of the Stars
Available next spring, this story is separate from the Cassan universe. I took the story idea of the song Dragon on the Sea by Ayeron and wrote my own. (I don’t recommend doing that, as a book is much longer than a seven minute song…)

Crap, that’s a lot! And I didn’t even want to be a writer. I’m just a dude with many guitars. And even more clones…

Anyone else seeing Riff Trax? Ready for Halloween? (Any other Halloween songs you’d like to suggest?) Did you go look at the Lake Natron photos? Did you say Trick-or-Treat? And are you as stunned as I am that a man of few words actually wrote all that…?

Don’t forget next Wednesday is IWSG post day!