Ninja News, Super Quiz Answers, and the August Movie Preview

Ninja News!

Author Cindy Borgne at Dreamer’s Perch is hosting the Summer Speculative E-book Giveaway Contest this week! Visit her site for your chances to win.

Jamie at Mithril Wisdom is hosting a 350 Followers Giveaway Extravaganza! You could win a moleskin journal or a vial of Zombie Gone.

Diane at Spunk on a Stick’s Tips is hosting a Supportive Blogger Extraordinaire Contest with prizes for nominators and the winner. I’ve made my nomination already…

J.C. Martin’s new book, Oracle, releases today! She’ll be visiting this Friday as part of her blog tour. Congratulations, JC!

Tyrean Martinson’s poem "Fruit Sale Cinquain" will be featured today at Every Day Poets. Congratulations, Tyrean!

Thanks to everyone who visited Annalisa Crawford on Friday. My answer for a popular blog was simple but it’s what works.

And welcome new followers! I hit 1600 this weekend, Whoa…

Super Quiz Answers

Science – How many colors are there considered to be in a rainbow? Seven

Sports – What is the official diameter of a hockey puck in inches? Three inches

Geography – Name the reef off the NE coast of Australia. The Great Barrier Reef

History – Name the first permanent English colony on the American mainland. Jamestown, Virginia

Movies – Who played Hawkeye in the movie M.A.S.H? Donald Sutherland (Alan Aldo played him in the TV series.)

Words – A handwriting expert is called a ___? Graphologist

August Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming releases for August. As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

3 -

Total Recall
A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.
Director: Len Wiseman
Stars: Colin Farrell, Bokeem Woodbine, Bryan Cranston, Kate Beckinsale

Didn’t need a remake, but the storyline appears different enough to be interesting. And it has Kate!

10 -

The Bourne Legacy
An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films.
Director: Tony Gilroy
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Donna Murphy

This is going to be wicked, bad-ass cool! My must-see movie of August.

The Campaign

In order to gain influence over their North Carolina district, two CEOs seize an opportunity to oust long-term congressman Cam Brady by putting up a rival candidate. Their man: naive Marty Huggins, director of the local Tourism Center.
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Sarah Baker

Not a big fan of Ferrell, but could be funny. Could be stupid as well.

17 -

The Expendables 2
Mr. Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.
Director: Simon West
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Chuck Noriss, Dolph Lundgren

The first one was predictable and vanilla. Hoping the second one will be better. (Come on guys - look at all those action stars! Make a good movie for them.)

ParaNorman
A misunderstood boy who can speak with the dead, takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.
Directors: Chris Butler | Sam Fell
Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann

Looks quirky and odd.

29 -

Lawless
Set in the Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by authorities who want a cut of their profits.
Director: John Hillcoat
Stars: Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman

Oldman, Pearce, and Hardy? You have me intrigued…

Lots of good news this week! Entering any of the contests? Did you get any trivia answers correct? Any movies catch your eye? And are you ready for Wednesday’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post?

Important A to Z Challenge Guidelines, My A to Z Theme, and Sad Songs Blogfest!

The A to Z Challenge starts Sunday!

For those of you participating, here are the basic guidelines:

Post on a topic or word that matches the corresponding letter of the alphabet, starting with “A” on Sunday, April 1, then every day except Sundays after that.

Visit fellow Challenge participants starting with the blog immediately following yours on the sign up list. Aim to visit five blogs a day; more if you have time.

Keep posts SHORT!

Turn off word verification. Make it easy for others to leave comments.

Make it easy for others to follow you.

Use the official A to Z button. Link back to the A to Z BLOG.

Have fun and make new friends!

My theme for the Challenge? I’ll get to that in a minute…

First, it’s the Sad Songs Blogfest, hosted by Spunk on a Stick’s Tips

Disappear by Dream Theater from Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

Song tells the unbelievably sad tale of a man sitting by his wife’s bed as she passes away. Song almost guaranteed to make me cry every time. (And I never want to be in that position. My wife is in big trouble if she dies first.)

After Me by Marillion from Season’s End

Song takes you to the depths of heartache before the uplifting ending. Saddest line – “There’s a stray dog she feeds that she found in the street and he loves her to hold him but he won’t let her keep him. And he claws at the door to be let out at night and she makes do without him and she worries about him.”

Collapse the Light into Earth by Porcupine Tree from In Absentia

It’s a song about someone who’s gone through a very traumatic event. It’s a metaphor for a breakup. The poor man sings about how the light has collapsed in the spot where his lover should be.

Losing it by Rush from Signals

The saddest song about aging you will ever hear. “The writer stares with glassy eyes, defies the empty page, his beard is white, his face is lined, and streaked with tears of rage. Thirty years ago, how the words would flow, with passion and precision, but now his mind is dark and dull, by sickness and indecision, and he stares out the kitchen door, where the sun will rise no more.”

Now, my theme for the Challenge!

Last year, my theme was featuring blogger buddies whose blog title corresponded with the letter of the alphabet. Everyone really seemed to enjoy it so I decided to put a little twist on it this year.

My theme – I have selected a word for each day and will present to you blogger buddies who fit that description, along with movies, music, etc. My theme is to give back, highlight some awesome bloggers, and have fun in the process.

The only downside is that I have a lot of blogger buddies. (Note sidebar which is still missing some blogs.) I won’t be able to mention everyone, but I will try to highlight some cool people.

I’ll also be posting short bits of Ninja News, so if you have anything exciting happen, new book release, anything – leave a comment and I’ll mention it the next day.

So, you never know who I will be highlighting on a given day!

Oh yeah, and I’ll be announcing my next solo Blogfest during the Challenge (first one since Worst Movies Ever – whoa!) and it’s really going to surprise you.

Any questions about the A to Z Challenge? Any sad songs on your list? Want to guess what my next blogfest will be? Do you like my theme for the Challenge? Care to share your theme? I’ve been hearing about some good ones…

Ninja News and One Downside to the A to Z Challenge

Thanks to everyone who said my guest post policy was fair. My Ninja Army always comes first.

Ninja News to the extreme – are you ready?

We’ve been doing “Getting to Know Your Hosts” over at the A to Z Challenge Blog and today it is my turn! Do you know your Ninja Captain…?

Patsy Collins is currently on a blog tour for her upcoming book, Escape to the Country. Follow along HERE. Congratulations, Pasty!!



Prayers for Charles Gramlich and Lana as they face a tough challenge.

Diane at Spunk on a Stick’s Tips is hosting a Sad Songs Blogfest on March 31.


Congratulations to Theresa Milstein, Justine Dell, Jocelyn Rush, Roland Yeomans, and Hart Johnson for making the second ABNA cut. You guys rock!

Don’t forget the next posting for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is April 4. That’s the letter D for those doing the A to Z Challenge, so be sure to work it into your post. (Hopefully everyone doesn’t pick ‘Despair’ as their word!)

Big thanks to Rick and White Cat Publications for the awesome review of CassaFire this week.

And special thanks to CM Brown for her review of CassaStar!

One downside to the A to Z Challenge

You’ve all heard me talk about how the first Challenge changed my blog forever and that this year’s Challenge will be equally awesome. So what on earth could be the downside?

Not participating in the A to Z Challenge.

Last year as I visited blogger buddies who weren’t participating, I noticed something. With everyone focused on the Challenge, those blogs not involved seemed to get less comments than normal. So if you don’t participate, there is definitely a downside, which is why I encourage everyone to get involved.

However, those of us doing the Challenge need to be sure we don’t forget blogger buddies who aren’t participating. Ignoring those who aren’t involved for the whole month isn’t in the spirit of the Challenge, which is to make friends. And hopefully those not participating will continue to visit us as well. (I do know of one blogger who is unfollowing anyone doing the Challenge, which is really sad.)

So remember to maintain those friendships while you’re out making new friends!

Now, for a little insight into my world, visit the A to Z Challenge Blog.

Did I miss any news? Did I miss anyone who made the second ABNA cut? Are you ready for the Challenge? Starts Sunday April 1! And is anyone seeing a little movie called The Hunger Games this weekend…?

Movie Reviews and Ninja News

Thanks for commenting on my guest post on blogging tips and CassaFire news at Susan Roebuck’s site last Friday, and for making Brinda Berry feel so welcome here.

Some really important announcements today but first the reviews:

Underworld: Evolution

A reviewer on JoBlo’s site said it best – if you’re a fan of the first three, you’ll dig it. (Which means if you hate the series, I doubt this movie will change your mind.) It’s not a great movie, but I was entertained for the duration.

This movie was on a smaller scale and probably with a smaller budget – but you couldn’t tell from the special effects. It also had a storyline that was touching and intricate involving Selene’s daughter. It had kick-butt action, with fights, chase scenes, and explosions (including exploding lycans.) And of course – it had Kate Beckinsale, looking as stunning as ever! My quest this year is to find Selene’s outfit and convince my wife to wear it around the house. (Wish me luck.)

Attack the Block

This British alien invasion movie was also done on a small scale with a virtually unknown cast. The movie opens with a teen gang in South London robbing one of their neighbors. (Over the course of the film, they manage to redeem themselves.) The gang kills a strange looking creature and soon find themselves defending their block against vicious aliens.
This movie was a load of fun! It’s a fun monster movie in the same vein as Tremors with even more action and humor. The actors are great – their banter hilarious - and the aliens effective. It’s colorful in language but not excessively gory.
If you’re looking for something fresh and new, rent this movie for action and laughs!

Now on to the news…

Sign ups for the A to Z Challenge open in one week! Don’t forget the video challenge/contest.

Mark at Aloha, and Hi! from Hawaii is co-writing a memoir about a singer who lost and then regained his voice. He is hosting a giveaway for singer Donald Braswell which includes several CDs.

Melissa Sugar is hosting the Get Fired Up Blogfest and encouraging others to mentor and help a struggling blogger. One of the prizes is a Kindle Fire! Read about it HERE and HERE.



If you’re getting ready to set up a book tour, Spunk on a Stick’s Tips has some great tips.

If you’re looking for some awesome writing tips, Mooderino at Moody Writing always posts the best.

Jessica Bell’s book, Twisted Velvet Chains, is now just ninety-nine cents at Amazon US and Amazon UK.

Big thanks to Helen Ginger at Straight From Hel for her review of CassaStar this weekend. Another science fiction convert!

Patricia (author pm terrell) gave me the All Around Wonderful Blog Award. Thank you, Patricia!
I am passing it along to:
LisaAnn at Kicked, Cornered, Bitten, and Chased
Patsy Collins
Marta Szemik

And finally, voting opened Saturday evening at You Gotta Read Videos for the best book trailer submitted the month of January. CassaFire is number ten and yes, I will grovel for votes. CassaStar came in second last year, and since prizes this year include free advertising on their websites, I’d really like CassaFire’s trailer to be in the top three. Go vote HERE

And if you haven’t seen the trailer for CassaFire, created by my awesome publisher, Dancing Lemur Press:



Seen either of those movies? Entered any of the blogfests? Planned your A to Z Challenge posts? Vote for my trailer? I will grovel…