Michael Offutt and Oculus, Libby Heily and Tough Girl, Ninja News, and Your A to Z Challenge Hosts!!!!

A lot to cover today! (Promise my posts will be much shorter during the A to Z Challenge.) First we kick off with friend and fellow science fiction author, Michael Offutt, who is here to entertain, amuse, and tell you why you need to buy Oculus, his latest book.

Steve Jobs would want you to buy Oculus

My earliest memory of board games started with Monopoly. I think that’s why my protagonist likes games too (don’t tell fans of hockey that it’s just a game). A little bit of us always shows up in our characters, right? Don’t answer that, but please indulge a few paragraphs of my insanity.

“My number on the squad is 11,” Jordan might say. “It’s my favorite, but this isn’t Craps. And three doubles in a row is bad, at least by the rules I play. If I say I’m a player, and I’m lucky is that a double entendre? I’m the lucky one, and this is not the third roll.

“I landed on Alex Cavanaugh’s blog with the dog. I always play the dog. It doesn’t shed and is all shiny out of the box. And Alex’s blog is Free Parking. You can’t argue with that. Ninjas never charge for parking. Not when they can slash your tires with a sword and can make you pass go without collecting $200. Do you have any idea how much that is in Ramen noodles?

“But it isn’t the happiest day of my life. That’s when I won $10 at a beauty contest. For a guy that’s pretty special. For a fake character in a real book, that’s redder than Emma Stone’s lips on Oscar night. And it’s doing pretty good. Shortly after that though, Kolin went directly to jail. Sometimes them’s the breaks. I feel bad for him…well partially bad. At least there’s no soap to drop and the menacing scowl behind the bars is just drawn on. You don’t want to drop the soap in a fake paper jail. The fake paper inmates have a tendency to shove you into one of the Fifty Shades of Grey books. For a fictional guy, that’s almost as bad as sitting through The Notebook.

“Still, there’s part of me that sheds the water works. I never liked that utility anyway. Water works are best done by chicks, right? But if you disagree, that’s fine. I won’t charge you if you give me your get out of jail free card. We all know you put out to get out, but your secret’s safe with me. I’m a black hole of secrets. Just remember, I see through you.

“Oh! You landed on Chance. I wonder what you’ll get. I guess that page is still unwritten. I hope you win $10 at a beauty contest. Then you could buy my story and feel validated at the same time. But don’t take it from me. Take it from Steve Jobs. ‘Oculus’ means ‘eye.’

“And anything that starts with “I” (iPad, iPod, iPhone) just has to be cool, or I’m not a character worth his ink. That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.”

At least…I think that’s what Jordan might say.

Investigate more about Oculus HERE
Find Michael here: Blog, Website, Goodreads, and Facebook.

Tough Girl now available!

Tough Girl by Libby Heily

Danger lurks everywhere in eleven year old Reggie's world—from the bully next door to the unwanted attentions of a creep at school. Raised by her mentally ill mother, Reggie is left to fend for herself in a rough neighborhood. She escapes in daydreams, battling aliens with her alter ego, Tough Girl.
When Reggie's mother disappears, her fantasy life spirals out of control and starts to invade reality. She is hunted by a creature of her own design, and even Tough Girl is not strong enough to stop him.
Will Reggie survive long enough for her mother to return, or will her dream world take over?

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Smashwords.

Libby’s book tour also kicks off today, so check her site for tour stops!

Ninja News

For those of you who’ve followed the wonderful Yvonne Lewis, she now has a new blog. Someone was stealing her poetry and she had to make some changes. You can find this delightful lady now at Yvonne’s Poetry Corner

M Pax, Suze, and Nicki are hosting the Back From the Future Blogfest on March 1. These ladies rock, so check it out.

VikLit at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author has started a new weekly meme – Celebrate the Small Things. Every Friday, Vik invites participates to mention something they want to celebrate that week, no matter how small. See her site for details.

Annalisa and Kyra are hosting the Imaginary Friend Bloghop on February 1. If you had an imaginary friend, check these charming ladies’ sites for details.

And the next book in Christine Rains’ series The 13th Floor is out now. She’s on tour for The Alpha, so check out her site for tour stops.

This Year’s Challenge Hosts!

I am honored to be a co-host again this year for the Challenge. The very first Challenge in 2010 changed my blog forever and I am in debt to Lee for creating this amazing event. There were only a hundred of us that first year, and now there are thousands. I hope that everyone can join us this year!

This year we have ten returning hosts and welcome Livia, Diane, and Nicole to the team!

Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out
Damyanti Biswas at Amlokiblogs
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Tina Downey at Life is Good
DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude 2.0
Jeremy Hawkins at Retro-Zombie
Shannon Lawrence at The Warrior Muse
Matthew MacNish at The QQQE
Konstanz Silverbow at No Thought 2 Small
Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs
Livia Peterson at Leave it to Livia
L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick
Nicole at The Madlab Post

Keep abreast of Challenge news by following the Blog, following on Twitter - @AprilA2Z, or reading our Twitter Newspaper. You can also send us an email - infoaz2013@gmail.com

Any questions for Michael? Have you purchased Oculus or Tough Girl? Signed up for the upcoming blogfests? Ready for this year's A to Z Challenge? And did any of your football predictions come true? (Denver crashed and burned and Seattle blew it - told you my picks were suspect!)

Book Feature, Ninja News, Blogfest Reflections, Goodreads Thanks, Wrath of the Titans Review, and Music Review - Threshold

I interviewed Rick Daley at the A to Z Blog today – his theme for the Challenge was movies! (And you know how much I dig movies.) Stop by today and check out his interview.

Special Book Feature

Today I am highlighting a book by a very special blogger friend. I’ve read excerpts from Sophia’s book, Mormon Diaries, and it’s very powerful. (She was even gracious enough to list me in the acknowledgements – wow!) Here’s a little more about the book:

Synopsis:
Brought up in a religious home, Sophia believes the only way to have a forever family is by following church leaders and obediently choosing the right. She goes to the right school, marries the right man in the right place, and does the right thing by staying home to raise her children. But when she starts asking questions about grace, love, and the nature of God, she realizes her spiritual struggles could rip her family apart.

“Sophia Stone has a fine eye and a searching heart. Her story of growing up in and reaching through her Mormonism for a deeper, more authentic spirituality reflects all the ways that religion can both keep us satisfied with easy answers and push us to more difficult and complicated realizations. We need a hundred more books like this one . . . “ –Joanna Brooks, author of The Book of Mormon Girl

“Sophia Stone captured my attention from the beginning. This collection of personal essays, about questioning the legitimacy of Mormonism after having faith in the religion for the first 30-something years of her life, is not just a controversial quake to a reader’s heart and soul. Stone’s voice is brave, bold and intriguing. And surprisingly relatable to someone who is not religious.”—Jessica Bell, author of String Bridge

If you have any questions for Sophia L. Stone, her Twitter account is sophia stone@ask_a_mormon - and you can use the hashtag #mormonquestions.

You can purchase the book at Barnes and Noble and Amazon, and view the book trailer on You Tube.

Sophia, good luck and I wish you much success!

Ninja News – all about the ladies today!

Suze’s entry for a major writing competition won first place. And she was at the banquet when they announced it. Can you imagine that thrill? Way to go, Suze!

Special cover reveal!


If I Let You Go by Kyra Lennon
A New Adult/Contemporary Romance novella
Release Date: October 22nd 2012


Congratulations, Kyra!

Tyrean Martinson’s poem, "March Snow Hare," is included in the recent release of The Best of Every Day Poets Two. For more information, visit the release page at Every Day Poets. Tyrean, congratulations!

Karen Gowen at Coming Down the Mountain just released her new book on Tuesday, Lighting Candles in the Snow. Congratulations, Karen!

Blogfest Reflections

Just – wow! A hundred and seventy-eight of you participated and it was just incredible. Somehow I managed to visit every single one plus some of my regular blogger buddies on Monday. And my apologies to those I missed – not enough hours in the day! Thanks to those who commented - over two hundred! Almost broke the record. So many of you visited others on the list, and I really appreciate that. Special thanks to Jeremy, Nancy, and Kyra - I saw your comments everywhere! All links lead directly to the blogfest post, so feel free to continue exploring.

Thanks everyone for making this the best blogfest ever!

Goodreads Thanks!

And a big thanks to everyone who voted for CassaStar and CassaFire on the Goodreads Best Science Fiction Space Opera list! It won’t last, but they claimed the top two spots! Hopefully they can hang around the top five for a while. But it wouldn’t have been possible without your support. You guys rock!

Movie Review

Wrath of the Titans

The remake of Clash of the Titans was so awful, I avoided this sequel in the theater. Safe to say, this one is much better. Still not great. Worthington still can’t act to save his life. But three things made it better than the first one – it wasn’t a remake of a beloved classic; it actually had a soul and some humor; and the special effects were amazing. Worth a rental even if it won’t really stick with you for long.

Music Review

Threshold – March of Progress

The ninth studio release of this progressive rock band is definitely their best! Former lead singer Damian Wilson returns after doing several side projects, including working with prog master Arjen A. Lucassen – and the influence of Lucassen really shows. There isn’t a bad song on the disc. The melodies and vocals flow together perfectly and the songs are very accessible. The guitar and other instruments are so crisp – one of the best mixed albums I’ve ever heard. For those of you wanting to sample prog rock or expand in the genre ( Jamie! ) I’d highly recommend this disc.

Curious to know more about Sophia’s book? Excited for the new releases? Seen Wrath of the Titans? Picked up March of Progress? (Still wondering what the heck is progressive rock?) And did you have a good time with the blogfest?

Be sure to visit Rick at the A to Z Blog