Fun RiffTrax Halloween Movies, Stranger Things and X-Files Trailers, Completing a Book Series, Monday's Music, New Releases, and Movie Trivia Answers

I need a IWSG co-host for November 1! If you can help, please leave a comment.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan is also here to talk about finishing a series, but first...

Fun Halloween Movies from RiffTrax!

The next RiffTrax: Live is Wednesday, October 25 - Night of the Living Dead!

We recently watched this one and the movie has not aged well. I don’t remember it being that bad. But that makes it ripe for RiffTrax fodder.

If you’ve not seen them live, you’re missing a great time! Check showtimes at RiffTrax for a theater near you.

If you’re in the mood for some scary movies, we recently watched a few from RiffTrax. Sadly, they will only scare you in how bad they are. Fortunately, Mike, Bill, and Kevin are there to bring intended humor to the films.

Arachnia
A cast of stereotypical misfits trapped in a house and surrounded by giant spiders.
Ray Harryhausen’s stop motion special effects will look high-tech compared to the effects here.
Yes, it’s a SyFy movie. Yes, it’s horrible. And yes, apparently they hate us.

The Bermuda Triangle
A cast of stereotypical misfits on a boat looking for…well, they don’t know what they’re looking for and neither do we.
Add creepy evil doll for creepy evil looking little girl. And John Huston. Someone must’ve had pictures of him with a donkey or something.

When a Stranger Calls Back
A cast of stereotypical misfits…just kidding! Just Charles Durning and Carol Kane, in it for the money.
Oddly enough, the stranger never calls. He just sneaks in and moves a few things around. Too bad he doesn’t clean while he’s at it.

Creepy Fun Trailers!

Season two of Stranger Things – October 27!

Season eleven of The X-Files – January 2018!

Thoughts on Finishing a Series

I came up with the core idea of the fantasy Season Avatars series—a quartet of women who have to work together to save their country from magical storms that mix up the seasons—about twenty-one years ago. I was single, between jobs, and living in another state. Since then, I’ve moved several times, worked four different jobs at two companies, got married, and had a son. The publishing world has also changed. Self-publishing wasn’t easy and was heavily stigmatized in the 90’s, but now it’s allowing me to fulfill a life goal: completing a series.

Finishing a series carries a lot of mixed feelings with it. There’s relief that the story will be complete before you die and that readers won’t be left hanging for a resolution. There’s definitely a feeling of accomplishment, even elation. If writing one book is a marathon, writing and rewriting five of them is an Ironman and a half. Plotting across a series requires even more forethought than plotting (or pantsing) a single book.

Certainly I’ll miss my heroines, but as I plan to write a spin-off series, they’re not gone completely. They’re adult children now, stopping back occasionally to visit and bringing new characters from their world with them. Writing “The End” is never truly the end, but another beginning.

Summon the Seasons

Kay might be the youngest, smallest, and least confident Season Avatar, but her weather magic makes her the most powerful of her group. Now that she also can contact the souls of dead Avatars, her quartet has a chance to end Chaos Season permanently. All Kay and her sister Avatars need are three more bones.
To obtain them, Kay’s quartet must travel across Challen, evading the King’s Watch and Selathens who want to protect their demigoddess, Salth, creator of Chaos Season.
Kay’s deepest beliefs about her God and her longtime rival, Dorian, will be challenged during the trip. If she loses her faith and newfound courage, she will fail, and the rest of the Season Avatars with her.

Pick up Summon the Seasons HERE

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan is the author of the SF Catalyst Chronicles and the fantasy Season Avatars series. She’s also a QA Representative, a wife, a mother, a Beatles fan, and a member of the 501st Legion, but mostly she’s very tired.
Sandra can be found online at the following links: website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Instagram

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Hosted by Marie at Xmas Dolly.

This one is from Voyager, a pop-prog band from Australia. They are so underrated! These guys should be huge.

New Releases

Marked Beauty by SA Larsen - available October 17
Uncovering hidden secrets can sometimes kill you . . . or worse, steal your soul.
Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Find Sheri at her Website or Blog

City of Ghosts by JH Moncrieff
On the day the villagers were forced to flee Hensu, not everyone got out alive.
Find it on Amazon Barnes and Noble, and iTunes

Jalapeno Cupcake Wench by Carol Kilgore
A Hot and Spicy Taste of Murder – and Beyond
Jalapeno Cupcake Wench is the first book in The Amazing Gracie Trilogy, a story so big, it takes three books to tell it. 
Find it on Amazon

Swing Vote by Donna K. Weaver
An IED blew up more than Marc North's career as a Cobra pilot—it shattered his plans for marriage.
Find it on Amazon and Goodreads

Movie Trivia Answers

1 – Christian Bale, Taye Diggs 2002 - Equilibrium
2 – Michael York, Jenny Agutter 1976 - Logan’s Run
3 – Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich 1997 – The Fifth Element
4 – Andy Serkis, Gary Oldman 2014 - Rise of the Planet of the Apes
5 – Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman 2013 - Oblivion
6 – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone 1990 – Total Recall
7 – Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux 1960 – The Time Machine
8 – Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence 1981- The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2)
9 – Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer 1997 – Starship Troopers
10 – Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman 2010 – The Book of Eli

Ready for some scary RiffTrax movies? Stoked about the next seasons of Stranger Things and X-Files? Have you wrapped up a series? Picking up some new books? Get the trivia right? And have you entered the IWSG Anthology Contest yet? You have until November 1. And let me know if you can co-host next month.

I’ll be offline this weekend but back on Monday with another guest and a slew of scary movie fun.

War for the Planet of the Apes and The Void Movie Reviews, #IWSGPit and IWSG Anthology, Monday’s Music, New Releases, and Ninja News

Want to know the steps for an author when it comes to audio book creation? Then visit Sandra Ulbrich Almazan today for my take on how it all goes down!

War for the Planet of the Apes Review

An army of humans led by the Colonel threatens the survival of the apes, setting Caesar on a path to avenge his kind.
First word – exhausting. Emotionally draining on every level. You will be put through the wringer watching this film.
However, the film is brilliant. So moving, so compelling. It’s a slow, purposeful pace, powerful in its intent. So many incredible moments along the journey. And such a terrible, tragic journey, but change one thing and it would’ve been worse. The apes are more human than the humans.
The special effects in this film are the best I have ever seen – bar none. You believe the apes are real. Minutes into the film, they are no longer CGI. And they aren’t – the expressions, the eyes – so real and amazing. You really see Andy Serkis as Caesar. He so deserves an Oscar nomination for this film. All of the apes – so incredibly real. Props go to all of the human actors behind the voices and the actual actions.
The cinematography is incredible. Again, Oscar worthy.
There are several nods to the original films, including a mute girl who takes the name Nova and Caesar’s youngest son, Cornelius.
Critics are calling it a great end to a trilogy. They could keep going with the stories if they wanted. But after seeing it, I understand why they are calling it that.
If you’ve seen the other two films, you cannot miss this haunting and powerful chapter in the series.
Highly recommended.

The Void Review

After delivering a patient to a closing hospital, a police officer and the small staff start experiencing strange things involving hooded figures and more.
This is a throwback to classic 80’s horror films. There is very little CGI – it’s all realtime monster effects.
The filmmakers were also obviously fans of both early John Carpenter films and of H.P. Lovecraft. There are strong elements from both creators here.
The film has issues. But give the writing and directorial team credit for trying to make a respectable horror film in 2017. (Not a lot out there right now.) The director could’ve phoned it in, but he tried to do something of quality.
It’s gory, weird, and ramps up the tension level. The cinematography is also great.
If you are into gory creature features, especially with a throwback vibe, this is the film to watch.
Recommended

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Hosted by Marie at Xmas Dolly.

I am the Spotlight Dancer today and I choose the theme European Favorites!

First up is Katatonia with Serein from their album The Fall of Hearts. This band began life as a screaming prog band but when the lead singer could no longer do it, the entire band changed their style to produce this beautiful album. They hail from Sweden.

Next is Harken with Earthrise from their album Affinity. They hail from London.

New Releases

Pat Hatt has three new Tarsier Man tales!

Tarsier Man: Thugs and Love Bugs
Find it on Amazon

Tarsier Man: Buyers and Liars
Find it on Amazon

Tarsier Man: A Plot By Polka Dot
Find it on Amazon

Young Seasons by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
Find it on Amazon

Ninja News

The Cherished Blogfest is this October!

The IWSG Guide to Writing for Profit is open for submissions until the end of July!
What have you found that makes a profit?
What have you found that doesn’t?
Please share your experience! Guidelines here.
Deadline is July 31 – what are you waiting for?

The IWSG’s first Twitter pitch party, #IWSGPit, is July 27! We have a great list of publishers and agents who will be watching the hashtag with many more checking in.
If you have something ready to submit, you don’t want to miss this.

Have you seen War or The Void yet? What music moves you today? Participating in #IWSGPit or contributing to the anthology? Have some fun stuff planned for the remainder of summer?

Don’t forget to visit Sandra Ulbrich Almazan.

I’ll be offline next week but I will be on Twitter, especially Thursday, July 27 - #IWSGPit day! Good luck to all those who are Tweeting pitches.

ID Resurgence Review, Paperback Writer, July Movie Preview, IWSG Anthology Contest Update, and Ninja News

Independence Day: Resurgence Movie Review

Director Roland Emmerich says he hates superhero movies because he finds them silly.
Dude, have you watched any of your own films lately?
I left my brain at the door and my intelligence was still insulted by this film.
Sure they went bigger, and it was fun if you could sit through the nonsense. Unfortunately, the stupid was too much for me.
This film failed on every science level and then some. Plausibility just went right out the window and there were tons of coincidences. This film demeans all other science fiction movies.
And what is it with Emmerich and stuff falling on planes? He must be a big fan of buildings attacking flying aircraft.
It was good to see Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, and the others return. They did their best with what they had.
This film wasn’t supposed to be more than a dumb popcorn movie. Sometimes, I’m all right with that. But it just blew it too often for me. And it wasn’t very memorable.
If you remove your entire head before entering the theater, you might enjoy it. You have been warned…

How the Beatles Made Me a Paperback Writer

By Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

It was twenty(one) years ago today
The Beatles’ Anthology began to play.
My tech writer job was out of style,
But they were guaranteed to make me smile.
So may I introduce to you
The group I’ve loved for all these years,
Gwen, Jenna, Ysabel, and Kay!

I was a casual Beatles fan until “Free as a Bird” was released as part of the TV Anthology series in 1995. The song stuck in my head and helped me get through my dreary work day.

I quickly devoured every Beatles song and book I could find. One book in particular (A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles, by Mark Hertsgaard) struck me with the phrase “four-fold synergy” when describing how the Beatles worked together. I wanted to create another intimate group, but one of all women. They wouldn’t be musicians, but magicians. Their magic would be linked to the number four--but not the four elements. How about the seasons?

That was how I created the Season Avatars: Gwen, a healer/touch telepath (Spring); Jenna, plant magic (Summer); Ysabel, animal magic (Fall); and Kay, weather magic (Winter). Each Avatar is inspired by one of the Beatles. I wrote a 170,000 word novel about the Avatars and submitted it to publishers, but even after reducing the word count I received nothing but rejections. I put the series away until 2014, after I started self-publishing. After discarding the first book but keeping the characters, I eventually published three new books about them: Seasons’ Beginnings, Scattered Seasons, and Chaos Season. There will be two more books in the series, which should be complete next year. Hopefully, the love it gets will be equal to the love I put in it.

Visit Sandra at her blog.
Pick up her latest release, Chaos Season, at Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble

Ninja News

This Wednesday, the voting opens to decide the genre of this year’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology Contest! Be watching for the IWSG Newsletter on Wednesday. Voting will be open through July 9.

The MST3K Reunion show is Tuesday, July 28! You don’t want to miss this monumental event. (And if you do have to miss it, there will be an encore show on July 12.)

New release:
Plop Pea Pop by Pat Hatt
Find it on Amazon

Releases Tuesday, July 28:
Self-Help 101 or: How to Survive a Bombardment With Minimal Injury by L. G Keltner
Fine it on Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks



Hart Johnson is participating in an awareness campaign this month – twenty-two pushups a day for the twenty-two veterans who commit suicide every day. She nominated me to join the group, spreading awareness online while doing the pushups. Since I am also supposed to nominate someone, I’m choosing Chemist Ken. (Who looks like he could manage the pushups – I don’t want to kill anyone.)

July Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for July! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

1 –

The BFG
A girl named Sophie encounters the Big Friendly Giant who, despite his intimidating appearance, turns out to be a kindhearted soul who is considered an outcast by the other giants because, unlike them, he refuses to eat children.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Rebecca Hall, Mark Rylance, Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement
Is it just me, or do you see something other than the word friendly in BFG…?

The Legend of Tarzan
Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.
Director: David Yates
Stars: Margot Robbie, Alexander Skarsgård, Ella Purnell, Samuel L. Jackson
Four out of five mountain gorillas recommend this movie.





8 –

The Secret Life of Pets
Taking place in a Manhattan apartment building, Max's life as a favorite pet is turned upside down, when his owner brings home a sloppy mongrel named Duke. They have to put their quarrels behind when they find out that an adorable white bunny named Snowball is building an army of lost pets determined to take revenge
Directors: Chris Renaud | Yarrow Cheney
Stars: Jenny Slate, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks
It’s no secret – they raid the fridge, drink your beer, and watch NetFlix all day long.



15 –

Ghostbusters
30 years after Ghostbusters took the world by storm, the beloved franchise makes its long-awaited return. Director Paul Feig brings his fresh take to the supernatural comedy, joined by some of the funniest actors working today.
Director: Paul Feig
Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones
Another unnecessary remake, the trailer looks awful, McCarthy is in it – need I say more?



22 –

Star Trek Beyond
The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.
Director: Justin Lin
Stars: Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pine, Sofia Boutella
This big budget science fiction film will make up for ID: Resurgence!

Ice Age: Collision Course
Scrat's epic pursuit of his elusive acorn catapults him outside of Earth, where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the planet. To save themselves from peril, Manny, Sid, Diego, and the rest of the herd leave their home and embark on a quest...
Directors: Mike Thurmeier | Galen T. Chu
Stars: Adam Devine, Jennifer Lopez, Melissa Rauch, Simon Pegg
Since the last one wasn’t very good, I’d say the whole series is on a collision course…



29 –

Jason Bourne
Jason Bourne, now remembering who he truly is, tries to uncover hidden truths about his past.
Director: Paul Greengrass
Stars: Alicia Vikander, Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Tommy Lee Jones
Bourne returns to kick ass again, and there was much rejoicing…

Anyone else throw money at ID Resurgence? What made you a paperback writer? Going to MST3K Reunion Show? Ready to vote for the IWSG Anthology Contest? And what movies catch your eye for July?

Since next Monday is the Fourth of July in the States, I will be completely offline all day! Catch you Wednesday for IWSG post day.

Does Going Through Crap Make One a Better Writer? Plus The Nice Guys Review, Buddy Movie Trivia, and Ninja News

Movie Review - The Nice Guys

Directed by Shane Black and starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, it’s a quirky film. If you’ve ever seen the director’s movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, you’ll understand the type of quirkiness.
The film harkens back to the 80’s and 90’s buddy films. (Reminded me a little of The Last Boy Scout.) Crowe and Gosling are a mismatched pair who have to work together to solve the mystery.
It wasn’t quite a funny as I’d been led to believe. The humor is more quirky, less laugh out loud.
The characters are damaged. They really aren’t nice guys. (They aren’t really bad guys, either.) They do go through a process of some redemption though.
It’s also rated R for a reason – violence, language, and nudity (as the plot involves investigating the porn industry.)
Marginally recommended. (Unless you really dig films like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, then go see it!)

Ninja News

The Thing That Turned Me anthology from Stay Classy Productions will be out on June 30.
When asked to contribute, I decided to return to the Cassa universe and a time in Byron’s life before he began Cosbolt training.
Read CassaDawn and other stories on June 30!

This also came in the mail last week, all the way from the UK!

I have an autographed copy of Yvonne Lewis’ latest book, Stand by Me, Danny Boy. 

Thank you, Yvonne!

New Releases

A Spy in Me, The Harley Files, Freshman Year, Book 1 by Rebecca Green Gasper
When college student Harley Jenkins finds out she’s on probation with her university for something her roommate has done, she decides to distract herself with the mysterious death of a local girl by hiding out in small spaces even though she’s claustrophobic. Will Harley be able to solve the mystery before it takes the lives of more girls, or will she have to back out to solve her own problem?
Find it at Amazon and Smashwords

Chaos Season (The Season Avatars Book 3) by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan
Jenna Dorshay t’Reve isn’t your typical farmer’s daughter. Blessed with plant magic, she’s been impatiently waiting to take her place as Summer Avatar of Challen. All she and her sister Season Avatars have to do is tame a Chaos Season, a magical weather storm sent to Challen by a wrathful demigoddess…
Find it at Amazon

Cassie and The Wild Cat: Run Wild With A Child by Pat Hatt
Cassie and The Wild Cat are back for their 6th adventure at their shack. This time they were having a good meal when they were met with a new ordeal. A child came in and they both considered that a sin.
Find it at Amazon

Swepty Away by Elizabeth Seckman
He came looking for a ghost. Instead, he found a girl.
Find it on Amazon

Sometimes the Walls Cry: A book of Haiku and Sketch by Dean Miller

Movie Trivia

It’s time for some movie trivia! In honor of The Nice Guys, today features all buddy films. Name them based on the actors and year.

1 – Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin 1988
2 – Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith 1997
3 – Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, 1982
4 – David Spade, John Goodman 2000
5 – Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell 1989
6 – Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker 1998
7 – Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy 2001

Does Going Through Crap Make One a Better Writer?

We know writers tend to be an insecure bunch. But it seems that’s not all. After years of associating with other writers and thousands of IWSG posts, I noticed some common threads.

Many writers have been through some crap in their life. Maybe it was a bad childhood, a divorce, drugs, alcohol, illness – the list is endless. It’s left scars and many seem to draw upon their difficult experiences to write great stories.

There’s also the emotional roller coaster. Writers can be depressed one minute and excited the next. Again, everyone seems to draw from this whirlwind of emotions when writing. They make their mental and emotional hang ups work to their advantage.

My question – do you need to go through some of that stuff in order to be a good writer? The reason I ask? Because none of that describes me.

I’ve really never been through anything traumatic. I had a good childhood. Never experienced drugs or any addiction. My wife and I have never had issues outside of the usual ‘heated discussions.’ I’ve experienced death of course, losing family members and friends. But overall, I’ve had a really good life. Plus, I’m even-keeled when it comes to emotions. I don’t experience real highs or lows.

As far as I can tell, that is not normal for a writer.

(Although it’s not just with writing. I hear others give their salvation story – they were alcoholics, on drugs, atheists, angry with the world, etc. – and it’s a great testimony. Me? I was actually having a pretty good life when I got saved. Until I got saved, I had no idea anything was really missing. My testimony would be really boring.)

So, does it take that stuff to be a good writer? Does it make one more worldly and experienced?

Seen The Nice Guys yet? Picking up some new books? Know any of the trivia? And does going through stuff make one a better writer?

I will be gone Memorial Day weekend – catch you all on June 1 for the IWSG!

Mad Max Fury Road Review and Blood Boobs and Carnage Blogfest! Plus Nightcrawler and Pompeii Reviews, Dragon News, and Ninja News

Mad Max Fury Road Movie Review

This is one of the most visually stunning films I have ever seen.
You do not go to this film for the deep, complex storyline. You go because this is Road Warrior times a hundred.
Fury Road is a ballet of vehicular manslaughter of the highest order ever put on film. I’m not sure I even breathed during the final thirty minutes. And it’s impressive how little CGI was used. Those car chases are all real.
The world building is amazing and done in a unique manner – they just dump you in the middle of the ride and you learn as you go.

The art direction and cinematography is beyond breathtaking. Every frame is filled with bizarre and surreal imagery that will stick with you for a long time.
Charlize Theron is the real star. She’s the heart of the story. Tom Hardy’s Max is just along for the hellish ride. But he is perfect as Max – distant and just wanting to survive.
All performances are batshit crazy, which fits the film perfectly.
Highly recommended!

Dragon News

I received word from my publisher last Friday - Dragon of the Stars is under consideration for the Philip K. Dick Award! It won’t win, but I am so stoked to know my book was selected and is being read by the judges.

My publisher also sent copies of the program guide for Treklanta. It’s exciting to know that Dragon is appearing in so many science fiction convention guides.

Movie reviews

Nightcrawler
Fascinating movie. It’s like spending two hours with the best used car salesman in the world.
The performances are great. I’m just not sure how I feel about the movie. How do I root for a sociopath?
It’s worth watching for the great directing and acting, but you might want to take a shower afterwards.

Pompeii
This is a film with great special effects but a flat and lame story. They struggled to build a decent story just to showcase the volcano erupting.
Kiefer Sutherland is horribly miscast. His acting is hammy and over the top, and the character is very one-dimensional.
This film is a step up for Emily Browning after Sucker Punch but a huge step down for Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington.

Ninja News

Pat Hatt had a great time with his You Rock award!

Nigel Mitchell posted an excellent piece about book reviews – the do’s and don’t’s.

Operation Underground Railroad is a nonprofit group that works to help rescue some of the 2 million children trafficked as sex slaves around the world. Donna K. Weaver has started a fundraiser for OUR -
We've created a donation campaign called Authors United Against Child Slavery. We're offering people books in exchange for donating money to the campaign--a $20 donation gets a book (paper, ebook, audiobook)--depends upon what authors can donate. Obviously, what we need are books, and that's where I'm hoping you can help. All donations go directly to O.U.R. Our goal is $2,000. That means 100 books.
Sign Up Link - Authors United Against Child Slavery Campaign

Out Now –

Precipice, Backworlds Book 6 by M. Pax
Find it on Amazon, iBookstore, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo

The Mission by Lexa Cain

SF Women A to Z – A Reader’s Guide by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

Blood, Boobs, and Carnage Blogfest!

Hosted by me and Heather Gardner.

Today, post about a movie, television show, book, or all three that falls into the category of Blood, Boobs, and Carnage. (Or just Blood and Carnage or other mixture.) It can be any genre that fits the bill – fantasy, science fiction, action, adventure, western, thriller, etc. Post the badge and visit other participants.

My selections are…

Movie – Conan the Barbarian
Camp classic, it contains everything you’d want in a Conan movie, including a ridiculously pumped Arnold.

Television – Game of Thrones
No other show better exemplifies blood, boobs, and carnage than this. However, in between all that is an incredibly compelling series.

Book – Books of Blood by Clive Barker
If you like your blood mixed with boobs, Barker has a creepy way of mingling sexuality with violence.






Visit other participants below!

Anyone else see Fury Road? Or Nightcrawler or Pompeii? Anyone attend Treklanta? Picked up those books? And what do you consider blood, boobs, and carnage material? 

I am easing back and taking some time off later in the week for a while.