MI: Rogue Nation Review, Movie News, Battle of the Banned, Question of the Month, New Releases, and Ninja News!

Movie Review

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
I’ve seen three great films this summer – and now I can add this one.
The movie is entertaining from start to finish.
It’s funny with great action sequences and a compelling storyline. I’d say this is my second favorite entry in the series, right behind Ghost Protocol.
There is a great balance of characters. Renner brings swagger to his role, and Pegg brings the humor. (Along with some of the best lines in the film.) Add in Rhames with his old school attitude plus Cruise, and it’s a great combination.
Best way to describe the direction the franchise has taken with the last few films – James Bond meets Fast and Furious, with high tech gadgets and crazy, over the top action sequences.
Highly recommended!

Movie News

According to JoBlo, Games of Thrones will last for at least eight seasons.

Also on JoBlo – coming soon, a Nosferatu remake:
Director Robert Eggers, who won the directing prize at Sundance for THE WITCH, is tackling a remake of F.W. Murnau's silent classic, NOSFERATU, for Studio 8. The production company is best known for the indies BEGINNERS and AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS. There is no word on how direct of a remake this version of the story will be but the untitled film is described as a visceral adaptation.
NOSFERATU has been remade previously by Werner Herzog with Klaus Kinski in the lead as well as a "true story" version titled SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE with Willem Dafoe as NOSFERATU actor Max Shrek and John Malkovich as Murnau. The striking make-up design of Shrek's Count Orlof has inspired numerous vampire characters, especially Stephen King's creature in SALEM'S LOT.

And last week, SyFy’s makeup competition show, Face Off, started a new season!

Ninja News

The Geek Twins shared some great news - About.com has asked me to head up their brand new Superman site. It's going to be your one stop shop for the biggest superman news and information. Way to go, guys!

Madilyn Quinn at Novel Brews posted a large list of Flash Fiction and Drabble challenges and weekly contests – check it out!

Melissa Maygrove posted an excellent to do list for self-publishers – check it out HERE

Roland Yeomans posted about Lester Dent’s Secret to Master Plots. (He wrote over a hundred and fifty Doc Savage novels.)

Samantha Redstreake Geary announced this epic project:
Join us on a journey through Uncharted, a visionary reimagining of Greek mythology and ancient history, where the mystery behind the world’s most extraordinary discovery comes to life through the collaborative efforts of graphic designer, Koke Núñez Gómez, recording artist, Aeralie Brighton, and author Samantha Redstreake Geary, under the influence of Immediate Music & Imperativa Records‘ This Is Epic Music Vol. 1.
Fans will have the opportunity to WIN signed copies of This Is Epic Music Vol. 1! Be the first to answer our contest questions correctly and we’ll send you a signed album via co-founder & president of Immediate Music, award-winning composer, Yoav Goren.
3 Chapters + 3 Contest Questions = 3 chances to WIN signed albums

New Releases

Athletic Antics by Joanne Faries

She stood, frozen, at the edge of the diving board. At an early age, Joanne Faries demonstrated absolutely no athletic ability. In Athletic Antics, her latest humorous memoir, the author describes riding her bicycle into the back of a car; climbing trees and sliding (not on purpose) down them scraping every inch of her body; plus surviving the duress of junior high field hockey, lacrosse, and volleyball.

Find Athletic Antics on Amazon

Veritas, Shadow of the Rose: Book Two by M.L. Chesley

Cosmic Seasoning by L.G. Keltner

Free on Smashwords

Battle of the Banned

I am participating in Shady Del Knight’s Battle of the Banned. (Yes, Banned, not Band.) It takes place the first Monday of every month.

The Sweet’s songs have been covered multiple times, probably more than just about any other band. I decided to select 1973’s Ballroom Blitz and see what I could find. I knew Krokus had recorded it, and I found two other bands I liked. So today, you get three versions! You know the drill – pick your favorite.

Krokus from The Blitz:


The Offspring from their demo tape:


Nuclear Assault from Out of Order:

Question of the Month

Hosted by Michael at A Life Examined.

“If your parent or child committed a major crime, would you turn them in?”

It would depend on the crime. I wouldn’t turn my father in for jaywalking. Or speeding.

But if that person killed someone, yes, I’d be morally obligated to turn them in.

Did you catch Mission Impossible this weekend? Think we need another Nosferatu movie? Watching Face Off? Any news or new releases that catch your attention? Which version of Ballroom Blitz is your favorite? And what would you do if someone you loved committed a major crime…?

Don’t forget – Wednesday is Insecure Writer’s Support Group post day!

A to Z Challenge – H – Cult Classics: Heavenly Creatures, Heavy Metal, Sammy Hagar, The Handmaid’s Tale, and More! Plus the Latest Movie Remakes

My tour stop today is with the multi-talented Samantha Redstreake Geary. This one is really special! Samantha is very connected with the music industry, and today’s spot features music by composer Steve Jablonsky. (He’s worked on soundtracks for the Transformers movies, The Island, etc.) So please hop over and see what Jablonsky scores match best with Dragon of the Stars!

A to Z Challenge – Cult Classics – H

Movies-Music-Sci-fi Book-Bloggers-Dragon Term

Movies –

Heavy Metal –
Based on the magazine, this movie brought artists together from around the world. Released in 1981 and featuring a great soundtrack, it became the subject of many midnight showings.

Heavenly Creatures -
One of Peter Jackson’s first efforts, this dark and twisted film is based on a real event. Released in 1994, it was nominated for an Academy Award and marked the debut of actress Kate Winslet.

Music –

Sammy Hagar – Standing Hampton
One of his biggest commercial hits, this 1982 release spawned numerous hits, including There’s Only One Way to Rock.

Science Fiction Books –

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Originally a BBC Radio 4 broadcast, it became a series of books, stage shows, television series, computer game, comic books, and a movie.

The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
This dystopian novel won the Governor General’s Award and the very first Arthur C. Clark Award, and has been adapted for film, stage, radio, and opera.

Bloggers –

Hank Kaykuala at Rainbow
You want to read dynamic poetry? Want to follow one of the most precise and knowledgeable poets on the Internet? Then Hank is your #1 guy!

Hilary Melton-Butcher at Positive Letters.... Inspirational Stories
Want to expand your knowledge? Want to know details about Britain, art, food, causes, and more? Then this delightful Dame is who you need to visit!

Huntress at Spirit Called
Want a little magic? Want a touch of farm life, pop culture, books, and all with a bit of humor? Then Huntress (a.k.a. author C. D. Coffelt) is your gal!

Dragon of the Stars Term –

Hyrath –
Aden’s home world, Hyrath is over eighty percent water, with the bulk of her land mass located near the equator. The oceans are their greatest resource, as the many varieties of kelp provide energy, food, and drugs. Hyrath is governed by a council composed of leaders from each district, and overseen by the Queen. They also possess the strongest fleet in the galaxy.

Dragon of the Stars is out now!
Check out the site What Are the Kargrandes? for clues as to how they tie into the story.

And there is a Scavenger Hunt! An autographed copy of the book, bookmarks and swag, and $20.00 iTunes gift cards to the winner. Just visit the sites below and leave a comment – where do you think Mini-Alex is in the photo? Open until midnight April 11 – winner announced here April 13. Now go!

Melissa Maygrove * Eva Solar * Father Dragon Al * Suzanne Furness * Karen Walker * Dianne Salerni * Christine Rains * Nick Wilford * EE Giorgi * Murees Dupe * L Diane Wolfe * Helena * Tyrean Martinson * Robin * Heather Gardner * Jo * Lynda Young * SL Hennessy * Toi Thomas * Lori MacLaughlin * Jess at Author Tracker, * Truedessa, * Annalisa Crawford, * Patricia Lynne, * Lisa at Flash Fiction, * Julie Flanders, * Julie Kemp Pick, * Nicki Elson, * Mark Koopmans, * Sydney Aaliyah!

Movie News

Time for some movie remakes!

From JoBlo -
Deadline reports that the studio has selected Carl Ellsworth to write a new draft of the GREMLINS reboot which is being produced by Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus.

Due out July 24, 2015 is the remake of Poltergeist, staring Jarred Harris and Sam Rockwell.

And they are also remaking Pete’s Dragon and Ben Hur.

That’s right folks – they have run out of ideas in Hollywood!

Familiar with those H movies? Fan of the Red Rocker? (Or his tequila?) Following those awesome bloggers? Found every Mini-Alex yet? And do you think those movies should be remade…?

Be sure to visit Samantha Redstreake Geary!

Fantasy and Ghosts, Fantasy Movie Trivia, More or Less Science in Sci-Fi, Movie Reviews – Automata and Stonehearst Asylum, and Ninja News

Today I welcome authors David Powers King and Michael Jensen!

Fantasy and Ghosts: Combining Our Favorite Genres

Hello everyone, and thank you Alex for letting us “possess” your blog for a moment.

The top question we get asked is “Where did you come up with the idea for Woven?” It started as a dream Michael had years ago, getting crushed by a tree and becoming a ghost. When he shared this idea with me, I caught his vision right awake and asked if we could write a story together.

But we needed more than one idea. Thankfully we’re both super nerdy and had a wealth of inspiration behind us with such favorite movies/books like Stardust, Ghostbusters, The Princess Bride, Lord of the Rings, and then some, like one of my favorite ghost novels When Marnie Was There (btw, Studio Ghibli made a movie of it—geeking out—release it in the US already!).

We had to go even deeper than what we knew, so Michael and I researched everything we could find about fantasy stories that feature ghosts. We truly wanted to create something special that we had never experienced before, which manifested as an unlikely pair who set out on a journey to thwart death itself—besides playing a game of chess with him, of course (he cheats anyway).

If you’re writing, don’t just read/watch the latest, most popular story today and start writing in that genre. Read up on all you can find in that genre. Many gems and much inspiration awaits.

Mind your eggs, watch your threads, and get yourself Woven. It’s now available at any major bookseller. Thank you again for having us, Alex! You’re the best Ninja Captain ever.

Find David – Blog - Twitter - Goodreads
Find Michael – Facebook - Goodreads
Find Woven at Website - Amazon - Barnes and Noble - iTunes

Movie reviews

Automata
Antonio Banderas is an insurance agent investigating robots altering themselves and discovers a whole lot more.
You’ll see bits of Blade Runner and I Robot in this film. It’s a dystopian future and the outlook isn’t good.
Banderas is good in his role, but Melanie Griffin an odd choice in her part.
It all meshed together to make an interesting yet not great science fiction story.
Not quite recommended.

Stonehearst Asylum
A medical school graduate starts working at a mental institution and finds a horrifying situation.
Director Brad Anderson leads a stellar cast through an obscure Poe story.
This should’ve been spectacular, but it ended up just being interesting. (Seems I’ve seen a lot of ‘interesting’ movies lately.)
Watch for the great cast, and of course, for Kate Beckinsale.
But for a really great Anderson film, watch Session 9 instead.
Not recommened

Ninja News

Today at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group site we have none other than literary agent, Alexander Slater talking about foreign rights!

And thanks to everyone who visited my post on pros and cons of small publishers at the IWSG on Monday – and special thanks to all the authors who contributed.

Found this site courtesy of Medeia Sharif - Awful Library Books. It’s old, odd, and just plain bad books discovered at libraries.

New Releases:

Of Mist and Magic, the product of another collaborative music and words project put together by Samantha Redstreake Geary.
It features a lot of authors you know, so check it out on Amazon!

It's Not Just a Job by Al Penswasser
Find it on Amazon



And thanks for all of the Minion volunteers last week! Due to the fact I have a book coming out in the middle of the Challenge in addition to all the other insanity of the month, the co-hosts graciously excused me from tending a section of the list. In return, I promised to help them find Minions, so hopefully if you wanted to be a Minion, one of the co-hosts has already contacted you.

Heavy or Light Science in Your Science Fiction?

Susan Gourley had a guest post on Christine Rains’ site where she talked about balancing the elements in her romantic science fiction series.

Susan said:
Romance readers don’t want a long explanation of the physics needed for my hero and heroine to travel between solar systems and galaxies at warp speed.

You know what? I don’t think all science fiction fans want that either.

Now, there is high tech and hard science fiction that goes into the scientific details. And then there’s the other end of the spectrum, like space opera and adventure, that is very light on the science.

Since I write space opera, you can pretty much guess how much science I want in my science fiction. I don’t care how something works, I only want to know that it does. That doesn’t mean it’s not plausible or the author didn’t do his research. I just don’t want to read it.

How about you?

Movie Trivia

In honor of David and Michael’s Woven, we’re going for fantasy movie trivia. Name the actor or actress.

1 – Who played Erik in Erik the Viking? (1989)
2 – What comedian voiced Reepicheep the mouse in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian? (2008)
3 – Who voiced Hiccup’s father, Stoick, in How to Train Your Dragon? (2010)
4 – Who played Gimli In LOTR: Return of the King? (2003)
5 – Who voiced Draco the dragon in Dragonheart? (1996)

Answers Monday!

How many fantasy books have your read that feature ghosts? Seen Automata or Stonehearst Asylum? Want to learn about foreign rights? Know any of the trivia? And how much science you enjoy in your science fiction?

Retro A to Z Challenge: O - Ocean’s Twelve 2004 (Plus audiomachine and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge)

Ocean’s Twelve – 2004

Usually sequels fall short – but not this time! Ocean and the gang returned with one more member as they attempt their biggest heist ever. All the cast members shine and it’s just as funny as the original. At one point, Julia Roberts’ character has to pretend she’s… Julia Roberts! Priceless.

2004 fun facts –
*Cost of gas - $2.10
*The social site Facebook launched
*SpaceShipOne was the first privately funded spaceship to achieve spaceflight
*The Taipei 101 opened, and at 1676 feet/508 meters, it was the tallest skyscraper in the world
*The infamous ‘Wardrobe Malfunction’ happened during the Super Bowl halftime show
*Tennis player Roger Federer won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open

Movies released –
Shrek II
Hellboy
The Incredibles
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Passion of the Christ
Spider-Man 2
Shaun of the Dead

Music released –
Chevelle – This Kind of Thinking Could Do Us In
Green Day – American Idiot
In Flames – Soundtrack to Your Escape

Games released –
Half-Life II
World of Warcraft
Need for Speed: Underground II

And why is 2004 special?
It’s the year Diane Wolfe went on a cruise and enjoyed fresh beginnings, and Rachel Schieffelbein got married and had her first child!

Diane is the author of many books and a professional speaker. An admin at the IWSG website, she’s an expert in publishing and promoting, and offers tips at her blog. She’s also a photographer and a cat lover. She’s nicknamed Spunky for a reason! Diane blogs at Spunk on a Stick’s Tips

Rachel is an author and the mother of four kids. She also coaches speech for teens, so you know she has patience! She’s a sweetie, supportive, and very involved in the blogging community. Rachel blogs at Writing on the Wall

Ninja News

From the genius writer with connections, Samantha Redstreake Geary, comes an epic opportunity for writers - PHENOMENA’s EPIC HEROES CONTEST!

Create an original SUPERHERO Story and/or Artwork inspired by PHENOMENA's track, "Fortress of Solitude“ in audiomachine's "EPIC HEROES CONTEST" for a chance to be PUBLISHED in the upcoming PHENOMENA album's companion eBOOK! Open Internationally April 15th -- May 15th. Go HERE for details.

And I am honored to announce that I will be a contributing author to this first ever audiomachine eBook!

Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge

Similar to Face Off, except they are making creature costumes similar to those seen in The Dark Crystal and Farscape.
Ten creators compete, designing creatures based on the weekly challenge. It involves fabric, sculpting, and mechanization, and they are judged on concept as well as design and execution. Creations are judged on a real set design.
Brian Henson heads up the project and is the top judge. Note that it’s also hosted by actress Gigi Edgley, who played Chiana on Farscape.
Fascinating and creative stuff!

Fan of the Ocean movies? Following Diane and Terri? Think you could write a superhero story for audiomachine? Watched Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge yet? And what do you remember about 2004...?

Storm Continues – Space Opera Basics at Mithril Wisdom! Plus Launch Recap, CassaFacts, CassaTrivia, and Ninja News

Today’s tour stop is with the awesome Jamie at Mithril Wisdom! I met Jamie during the very first A to Z Challenge, so we’ve know each other a long time. He’s one sharp fantasy geek and studied Egyptology in college. My guest post today is an easy introduction into the space opera genre, covering books, movies, shows, etc. Plus – we’re giving away a Cassa Universe poster! Check it out.

And CassaStorm’s release week kicks off with prizes every day! Comment between September 16 and 20 to enter. (Ends 6:00 pm EST Sunday, September 22.)
Prizes include:
Cassa mousepad
Cassa Universe poster
Cassa magnet
Cassa mug
Autographed copy of CassaStorm
One person will be randomly selected each day and the five names will be drawn from a hat – first person gets first choice and so on.

This week I will be featuring my tour, unique Cassa facts, trivia, and prizes every day. Plus others are announcing CassaStorm’s release, and almost every post features a unique interview question. List of participants on the CassaStorm Page. So join the fun!

Launch Day Recap

Huge thanks to everyone who has made announcements thus far or purchased CassaStorm! Launch day was awesome – this whole week has been awesome!

The #RUSHED Twitter party with Lynn Rush was fun! Fortunately it wasn’t a huge turnout, or I would’ve been even more confused…

I wanted to point out some really special posts:

Many thanks to Edi at Edi’s Book Lighthouse for hosting me on release day with a review, interview, and giveaway.

Father Dragon Al had a wonderful, fiery tribute and touching review of CassaStar. (As far as I know, no dwarves were singed.)

Leovi posted the most amazing photo in tribute to CassaStorm.

Melanie Schulz posted a wonderful review of CassaStorm.

Tammy Theriault’s announcement was very amusing!

Randy at Not the Baseball Pitcher posted a review of CassaStorm.

And the links to announcement posts have been updated on the CassaStorm Page so you can go directly to the answers if that person has posted.

Thanks, everyone – you made the Ninja’s day!

Ninja News

Samantha Redstreake Geary, the genius behind the Illumination Collaborative Flash Fiction Challenge – Tree of Life, has a special announcement today and a giveaway!

Lynn Rush’s latest came out yesterday – Frostbite! Congratulations, Lynn.

Liesel Hill’s latest came out yesterday - Quantum Entanglement! Plus there’s a Goodreads giveaway in progress, so check it out. Congratulations, Liesel!

Movie Review

Hansel and Gretel
In a nutshell – dumb but fun! It’s a misfire, but an interesting one to watch. Add a weird mix of steampunk weaponry and medieval folklore and you have one strange twist. It’s bloody and violent, which actually works in its favor. (Water this stuff down too far and it’s unwatchable.) Leave brain at door.

Cassa Facts

“A lack of female characters…”

Yes, I heard that more than once. There were virtually no female characters in CassaStar. (Outside of a very brief scene with Byron’s older sister in the beginning.) And that is one of the reasons some readers have dinged it with a poor review.

There are two reasons why no women appear in the first book.

The first has to do with my skills as a writer. It was my first book. I knew I had a lot of things working against me. I didn’t want my incompetence when it came to portraying the opposite sex to be one of those. So I didn’t include any female characters, not even in casual passing on the Cassan Flagship.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think to explain the second reason in CassaStar, and readers didn’t find the answer until CassaFire. There is a legitimate reason why Cassan women don’t serve on Flagships or fly Cassan fighters. I won’t reveal it here, but you can read about it in CassaFire.

So for those of you who still wonder – no, I did not intend to exclude women from my books. I just wasn’t ready to write them in the first book. And as you’ll discover in the second book, their strengths lay elsewhere.

Cassa Trivia

For those who’ve read the Cassa books – or at least read the synopsis of each one! 

1 – Who was Byron’s first navigator?

2 – What was Athee’s relationship to Prefect Orellen?

3 – Who was Byron’s Cosbolt pilot friend in all three books?

4 – What was the name of the Flagship in CassaStar?

5 – What is the name of Athee’s home world?

Did you catch any of those cool posts? Excited about the new books? Seen Hansel and Gretel? Do you struggle with writing the opposite sex? (Or wondered why there were no women in CassaStar?) And do you know any of the trivia?

Don’t forget to visit Mithril Wisdom!

The July Movie Preview! Plus CassaStorm Updates, Wednesday Movie Quote, and Ninja News

Ninja News

Misha Gericke’s Paying it Forward nominations are open again! One category - Blogger Most Deserving of Having Their Day Made. See her site for details.

Nominate a self-published author for their weekly series spotlight at The Guardian.

Sarah Ahiers has a story, Smothered, in Dark Moon Digest’s YA quarterly edition. Congratulations, Sarah!

Available now!

Ruby’s Fire by Catherine Stine

If everything about you changes, what remains?

Find Ruby’s Fire at Amazon, Amazon Kindle, and Goodreads.


Author Samantha Redstreake Geary is collaborating with the motion picture music production house, Audiomachine, for their album release "The Tree of Life" beginning July 15th. She’s hosting a "Tree of Life: Branching Out" writing challenge/contest for guest writers, each contributing their own 150 word excerpt to a continuing story collectively written over the course of 25 days. Guest writers can spin the story in whatever direction they choose, as long as it relates to the previously posted excerpt and is inspired by the featured Audiomachine track. When the collective story is complete, fans will vote for their favorite excerpt -- the top three writers will be awarded prizes. See her site for details.

Updates!

After making one widget featuring my blogger buddies’ books (see left side bar – bottom) I realized I’d missed some, so I made a second one. A few books I couldn’t find (the widget is through Amazon) and I apologize. Hopefully I’ve featured one book from everyone!

I will be taking Fridays off through July so I can complete all the revisions for CassaStorm. I’ll still be visiting, but I won’t be posting.

And… the book trailer for CassaStorm should be ready soon! My publisher asked for three key taglines, and other than shorter than the first two trailers, I don’t know anything else about it. I’m really eager to see it, though!

Wednesday Movie Quote

Today’s genre – superhero films!


I have to go with The Avengers:

“Puny god.”

Next week – water movies! (You may interpret that any way you like.)

July Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming movies for July! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

3 – 

The Lone Ranger
Native American warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.
Director: Gore Verbinski
Stars: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson
Verbinski and Depp have done it before – can they do it again?

Despicable Me 2
Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.
Directors: Pierre Coffin | Chris Renaud
Stars: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Ken Jeong
The Minions are back! Who doesn’t dig the Minions?



12 –

Pacific Rim
When an alien attack threatens the Earth's existence, giant robots piloted by humans are deployed to fight off the menace.
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Rinko Kikuchi
Giant robots versus giant monsters and directed by del Toro – need I say more?


19 –

Red 2
Retired black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device.
Director: Dean Parisot
Stars: Bruce Willis, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich
Great cast and the first one was hilarious.

R.I.P.D.
A recently slain cop joins a team of undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department and tries to find the man who murdered him.
Director: Robert Schwentke
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon
Undead police… um, sure.

Turbo
A freak accident might just help an everyday garden snail achieve his biggest dream: winning the Indy 500.
Director: David Soren
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Maya Rudolph, Samuel L. Jackson
It’s Ryan Reynolds day! Maybe we’ll get singing slugs like the ones in Flushed Away.



26 – 

The Wolverine
Wolverine makes a voyage to modern-day Japan, where he encounters an enemy from his past that will impact on his future.
Director: James Mangold
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen, Will Yun Lee, Tao Okamoto
It’s got to be better than his origins film!



See some interesting news today? Anyone as excited as me to see the trailer for CassaStorm? (Well, probably not.) What’s your favorite superhero film quote? And what movies will you be seeing in July?