Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Fallout Series Review, May Movie Preview, 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 May 1 posting of the IWSG are Victoria Marie Lees, Kim Lajevardi, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine!

May 1 question - How do you deal with distractions when you are writing? Do they derail you?

Life is a distraction. So, not much distracts me. I might take my time, but I keep writing and plodding forward. And, thank God, I’ve not had anything happen in my life that was so massive it derailed me. Other than a few years when nothing inspired me. (Then I envisioned CassaDark and another book sprang forth.) As for little distractions, headphones do wonders.

What about you?

We need co-hosts for the next few months! June through September. Let me know if you can help. We have to have at least three co-hosts each month. If you’ve never volunteered (and many of you haven’t!) consider doing so. It’s a ton of fun.

Series Review - Fallout

I’m a huge fan of the games. I’ve spent more time wandering the wasteland than I’d care to admit.
And I can safely say that this series was obviously made by dedicated fans who loved and admired the game. Every detail is near perfect.
If you’ve played the game, there are thousands of Easter eggs.
If you’ve never played the game, you can immerse yourself in the world with a compelling story, great acting, and amazing effects.
It’s rare I plow through a series (I’m not a binge watcher) but I watched all the episodes in five days – it was that good. (And I plan to rewatch them soon.)
If you like your post-apocalyptic stories on the crazy side, you will dig Fallout.
Highly recommended!

Upcoming Release!

ONE TUESDAY, EARLY by Annalisa Crawford
(14 May 2024, Vine Leaves Press)
You’re on your own and you shouldn’t be. Your partner is missing. The streets are empty. Even the birds have disappeared. What do you do?
Links: Vine Leaves Press store (paperback only) and all other retailers (paperback and ebook)

Mom’s Memories and Reflections on Motherhood by JQ Rose
Mom’s Memories and Reflections on Motherhood is adorned with bright yellow sunflowers and created with pages to chronicle mom's unique journey, capturing the laughter, tears, and growth that define motherhood.
Find it on Amazon

Margie "The Scaredy Dog" Finds A Home by Toi Thomas
Margie is a bit skittish. She’s a hunting dog who doesn’t know how to hunt, but she loves a good walk. Living in a shelter with other dogs, she has no idea that she could have a home and a set of humans all to herself.
Find it on Amazon

May Movie Preview

Here are the theatrical releases for May. Descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

3 –

Dragonkeeper
Directors: Jianping Li and Salvador Simó
Stars: Bill Nighy, Anthony Howell, Bill Bailey
In ancient China, dragons were once friends of humans, but our greed ended their alliance, and these magical creatures were hunted down. Years later, in a remote fortress, a young slave girl, Ping, strikes up an unlikely friendship.
A Chinese/Spanish production – now I’m hungry for egg rolls and tapas.

The Fall Guy
Director: David Leitch
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor
A down-and-out stuntman must find the missing star of his ex-girlfriend's blockbuster film.
There better be a Lee Majors cameo or I’m walking!

10 – 

 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Director: Wes Ball
Stars; Freya Allan, William H. Macy, Kevin Durand
Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he's been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
Don’t count on any monkey business…

17 –

IF
Director: John Krasinski
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Cailey Fleming, Steve Carell
A young girl who goes through a difficult experience begins to see everyone's imaginary friends who have been left behind as their real-life friends have grown up.
Ryan Reynolds stretching his acting chops to play…Ryan Reynolds.

24 –

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Director: George Miller
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke
The origin story of renegade warrior Furiosa before her encounter and teamup with Mad Max.
I bet Charlize Theron is furiosa she didn’t get the part.

What distracts you when writing? Can you co-host this summer? Have you watched Fallout? And what movies will you be seeing this month?

Board Game Reviews: Ghost Stories, Star Trek, and Reign of Cthulhu; Top Prog Albums of 2018, Trivia, and Ninja News

Board Game Reviews

We play a lot of board games in our house. (Actually, a lot of all sorts of games.) We really enjoy the cooperative ones, as we win or lose together.
Board games have come a long way. I thought I would share some of the games we’ve enjoyed this past year.

Ghost Stories

From Board Game Geek:
Ghost Stories is a cooperative game in which the players protect the village from incarnations of the lord of hell – Wu-Feng – and his legions of ghosts before they haunt a town and recover the ashes that will allow him to return to life. Each Player represents a Taoist monk working together with the others to fight off waves of ghosts.

I recommend watching a couple YouTube videos first before attempting play. Once you get the hang of it though, this game is a lot of fun and sometimes a bit frustrating.

Each player begins his turn by bringing out a ghost/card. He then decides where he will move and what he will do. Each of the four Taoist pieces has two sets of special abilities and you decide which ones to use for the game. Some can move to any tile, some can fight two ghosts. Each tile is a villager with a special ability – setting Budda bombs, bringing a player back from the dead, etc. The goal is to survive to fight the boss ghost (card always placed tenth from the bottom in the deck) and then beat the boss ghost. Add in dice, tokens, and ghost figures moving in to haunt the town and you have one interesting game.

We really enjoy this one. There are four Taoists, so my wife and I each play two, but it’s still fun that way. Together we plot out the best strategy for beating ghosts, keeping the board from becoming overrun with ghosts, and gathering the right color tokens to win in the end. There are multiple boss ghosts (you pick blindly which one will be in the deck) and some are easy while others I pray we never get.

The frustrating comes from when a ghost card spawns another ghost – and then yet another ghost – or your dice rolls suck. (That’s right, Ray – don’t roll a one.) If you’re not on top of things (or you draw really crappy ghosts from the beginning) the board can become overrun rather quickly.

But beating that boss ghost at the end is so satisfying!

Star Trek the original series Road Trip

From the rulebook: Travel the game board of uncharted systems and planets to compete in Starfleet Academy's “Enterprise Challenge." Carry out board actions, gain phaser tokens, and acquire access codes to enter deep space in order to collect federation tokens. Be the first cadet to complete your score card by returning all 4 unique federation tokens to your dormitory and win the prestigious “Enterprise Challenge.”

Up to four players, you do play against one another. The race is one to get a token that allows you through one of the color-coded passages into deep space. Once you have a federation token, it’s a race to get back to your dorm and secure it. Along the way you can pick up action cards (good) and 50/50 cards (usually not good) and extra phaser tokens.

You also have to fight hostiles – how many depend on the space you land on. Then it becomes a battles of dice rolls to see who wins. Sometimes it takes several rolls. And many phaser tokens.

Everything can be going great – and then you land on detour that sends you to the other side of the board and away from where you were trying to get to. Or you lose the Federation token before reaching your dorm. Those things keep it as anyone’s game until it’s over.

It’s simple, quick to play, and fun.

Pandemic – Reign of Cthulhu

If you’ve played Pandemic, it’s the same basic premise of preventing an outbreak across the world. Only this time, you are trying to stop the evil Old Ones from taking over.

Each player selects an investigator card and each investigator comes with certain bonus qualities – the ability to kill three cultists at once, travel to any town without using a town card, etc. Players start with four sanity tokens, cultists and one shoggoth are randomly placed within the four cities (Arkham, Dunwich, Innsmouth, and Kingsport), and then the race is one to seal the gate in each town.

Players have four actions they can take each turn: move, take a bus, trade a card, kill a cultist, defeat a shoggoth, or seal a gate. They draw cards that correspond to the towns and it takes five of any one color to close a gate. Then there are the summoning cards which places new cultists on the deck. Or worse, evil stirs and a new Old One comes forth.

This cooperative game is a lot of fun. Two to four players work together, using each character’s strength, to wipe out cultists, defeat shoggoths as they appear, and close gates. Working against you are the Old Ones appearing (some of them mess with abilities), losing sanity points, and too many cultists appearing to control.

Even if you’ve never played Pandemic, you’ll have a lot of fun playing. And if you’re into Lovecraft and Cthulhu, you’ll really love it.

Tomb of Annihilation Board Game

From Board Game Geek:
Tomb of Annihilation Board Game is a cooperative adventure design in the same series as Castle Ravenloft that's based on the "Tomb of Annihilation" storyline for Dungeons & Dragons: 5th Edition.

We just got this game, so I’m still working my way through YouTube videos to figure it out, but it’s highly rated and looks like a ton of fun. I’ll post a review later this year.

Ninja News

The #IWSGPit Twitter pitch is once a year now – and the next one is Tuesday, January 15!.
If you’re reading this Monday, that’s tomorrow!
Don’t miss it.

New releases!

Ain’t Nobody Got Time for Book Reviews! by Toi Thomas
Have you ever wondered why it seems authors are often whining about book reviews? What's the big deal anyway? How much of a difference could your one book review really make? In this opinion piece, ten-time self-published author and blogger, Toi Thomas, discusses candidly why book reviewing culture isn't what it should be.
Find it on Amazon

Rob’s Choice by Sandra Albrich Almazan 
Find it online at these retailers.

Best Progressive Rock Albums of 2018

Continuing my best of 2018 series, I’m diving into music next. And since prog rock is my favorite,it’s the best of prog rock albums.

6 - Joe Satriani – What Happens Next -  This is Joe's best album in years. Amazing start to finish.

5 – Ayreon – Universe - Everything about this live performance is stunning. The number of well-known singers is pretty spectacular.

4 – Seventh Wonder – Tiara - Back from a very long hiatus, they continue to create intricate prog that is also catchy and accessible.

3 – Khemmis – Desolation - Continues to be one of the most interesting new band on the scene. This is a great follow-up to Hunted.

2 – Haken – Vector - They continue to re-invent themselves with each album. Vector is complex, heavy, and catchy.

1 – Amorphis – Queen of Time - While I love all of the other albums on this list, this is hands-down the best album of the year. Every song is incredible without a dud in bunch!

Board Game Trivia

Since I reviewed some board games today, the trivia is all about board game pieces. Guess the game from the board pieces:

1 – If you don’t win, you’ll be…

2 – Specialty dice for this popular game.

3 - You will learn about this as you play.

4 – Second game in a series – first one was about islands.

5 – A thinking game.

6 – Variation on an old classic.

7 – Another variation – onward and…

8 – Where it pays to be a slumlord.

Answers in two weeks!

Have you played any of those board games? Participating in #IWSGPit? Fans of any of those bands? (Why not?!) And can you guess the trivia…?

Since January 21 is a holiday (and a three-day weekend), I’ll be offline, but I’ll return with a post on January 28.

X-Files and Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, #IWSGPit, Upcoming 2018 Films, Joe Satriani’s Latest, and Ninja News

X-Files and Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams Reviews

X-Files
The new season kicked off with a big What The…???? The last season ended with Mulder dying and Scully on a bridge looking up at an alien ship and the new season opens up with (spoiler!!!!) it was all just a dream?
The first episode was a misfire all the way around. Plus the urgency of that episode is forgotten in the following episodes.
My wife and I decided to pretend that first one never happened.
The next two episodes were excellent. They’ve been very much in the style of X-Files and stand-alone episodes. There was great humor, creepy situations, and good chemistry between the two leads.
If the rest of the season is like the second and third episodes, it will be great.

Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams
On Amazon Prime, this is an anthology series loosely based on the work of Philip K. Dick.
It’s somewhat like the series Black Mirror but not as extreme. It’s still not a show for kids though. (The third episode had a sex scene.)
Each story stands alone. So far it’s provided consistently good acting (with some big name actors), directing, and story lines. Some episodes will really make you think.
If you enjoy science fiction anthologies, I recommend Electric Dreams.

Music Review

Joe Satriani – What Happens Next
This is the best collection of songs from Joe since the album Crystal Planet. It’s good, fun rock ’n’ roll music all the way through the album.
Satriani’s a master and one of the best guitarists in the world. This album proudly displays the incredible talent of the Satch Man.
If you are a fan of guitar music (it’s all instrumentals) then this is a must-have.
He’s also on tour – G3 features Satriani along with John Petrucci of Dream Theater and Phil Collen of Def Leppard. A guitar enthusiast’s dream tour!

IWSG Twitter Pitch Party

Thanks to everyone who made it such a huge success – the participating writers, agents, and publishers, and the awesome IWSG Admin team who monitored the feed all day.

#IWSGPit was a trending topic on and off all day long and there were over 5100 Tweets! Double what we had last time.

The next one will be this July. Keep spreading the word to other writers and groups.

And let us know of your success stories! My publisher signed Sherry Ellis from a Twitter pitch from last year’s #IWSGPit – the next one could be you.

Ninja News

Toi Thomas recently posted her video of the best books of 2017 on YouTube.

I’m honored to say – Dragon of the Stars was her favorite read of the year!



The video begins right as Toi is going into her favorite book of the year, so you don’t have to fast forward or anything:

Thanks, Toi – you rock!

New release:
Don't Feed the Elephant! by Sherry Ellis
Picture book
People say you're not supposed to play with your food. But the adventurous little elephant in Don't Feed the Elephant never got the message!
Find it on Amazon

Upcoming 2018 Big Budget Films

Since January is such a void of movies, I thought I’d taunt you with a list of the upcoming big-budget/spectacle type films for 2018.

Black Panther - February 16 (Marvel will hit it out of the park again.)

Early Man – February 16 (The next film from the makers of Wallace and Gromit.)

Tomb Raider - March 16 (Could be a fun reboot.)

Pacific Rim: Uprising - March 23 (Again, what guy doesn’t like giant robots fighting giant monsters? Although it is a different director…)

Ready Player One - March 30 (Never read the book, but this will either be a hit or a misfire.)

Untitled Cloverfield Sequel - April 20 (Liked the first two although a little leery they haven’t named it.)

The Avengers: Infinity War -May 4 (The big movie event of the year. So many superheroes…)

Solo: A Star Wars Story - May 25 (Excited for another standalone although a May release means just that much longer until the next Star Wars movie.)

Deadpool 2 - May 18 (Is it wrong I am really looking forward to this one?)

The Incredibles 2 - June 15 (The first is one of my favorite Pixar films!)

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - June 22 (Please let it be less stupid than the last one…)

Ant-Man and the Wasp - July 6 (First movie was hilarious, so looking forward to more.)

Alita: Battle Angel - July 20 (This film looks amazing and has been in the making for over twenty years.)

Mission: Impossible 6 - July 27 (I’ve enjoyed all the other ones – why not?)

Venom - October 5 (This one could be twisted and fun.)

X-Men: Dark Phoenix - November 2 – (More X-Men – yes, please.)

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - November 16 (Wasn’t impressed with the first one but might give this a shot.)

Aquaman - December 21 (One of my favorite superheroes – very excited to see him in his own movie!)

Have you been watching X-Files or Electric Dreams? Fan of Joe Satriani? Participate in #IWSGPit? What was your favorite read of 2017? And what movies strike your fancy this year?

Unique Horror Films, Unique Halloween Decorations, Toi Thomas’ Birthday Bash, Scary Good Reads, and Ninja News

Recommended Unique Horror Films

To get you into the Halloween mood, here are some horror films I recommend. Rather than go with mainstream ones you’ve probably already seen, I decided to pick some smaller, less known films.

Near Dark 1987
Starring Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, and Jenette Goldstein. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, this film is a unique addition to the vampire legend, and even more so that they never say the word vampire. Pasdar is bitten by Wright and then abducted by the rest of the vampire gang. Paxton really goes all out as a bad-ass vampire and it’s a great balance of action and quiet moments.

Ginger Snaps 2000
Directed by John Fawcett and staring Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins. This one tackles the werewolf lore and again, in a unique manner. Isabelle and Perkins are sisters with a goth streak who dabble in fake gory photos. Things go awry when Isabelle is bitten by a wolf. A mixture of horror and coming of age with some decent effects. The sequels were all sub-par though.

Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn 1987
Starring Bruce Campbell and directed by Sam Raimi, this is one of those rare sequels that outshines the original. Now a cult classic, this film showcases Raimi’s unique filming style and is still his best film. Campbell and his girlfriend happen upon a cabin where the Book of the Dead’s contents has been unleashed. Over the top and gory, this film is funnier than it is scary and filled with one-line zingers you won’t soon forget.

The Devil’s Backbone 2001
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro with English subtitles, this is one of the director’s early masterpieces. Set at an orphanage/school during the Spanish Civil War, this film is as much a drama as a horror film. There is a ghost haunting the place, but it’s the horrors of the live people that are much more frightening. Filled with symbolism and poignancy, this stylish film is filled with atmosphere.

Let the Right One In 2008
Directed by Tomas Alfredson, this Swedish film is both powerful and creepy on so many levels. Many have seen Let Me In, the American version, but this film still shines with its unnerving atmosphere and undertones. A young boy befriends a neighbor girl who is a vampire and the movie follows their growing friendship even as the violent deaths escalate. While it doesn’t push all the limits found in the book, this quiet film carries a heavy impact.

Unique Halloween Decorations

Looking for just the right decoration to scare all of your neighbors? Here are some fun ideas.

If you are on a budget, this almost foot tall moveable skeleton rat is only ten bucks.

After the recent release of It, the six foot tall hanging clown with red flashing eyes is perfect.

You could also go with the six foot tall hanging animated phantom.

The barking skeleton dog with glowing eyes would be fun.

So would the four feet wide inflatable spider with kaleidoscope light.

And if you have the cash and want to go big, how about a six foot tall skeleton T-Rex with glowing eyes?

Welcome to Jurassic Park…

It’s Toi Thomas’ Birthday!

Hi there, Toi here. October 21st is my birthday so, all my ebooks are on sale $0 - $1.99 from October 20th – October 24th + I’m offering my Top 5 Angel Books as a giveaway on Amazon.

Legend of the Boy, In the Window, and Other short stories - Collection of multi-genre stories. The first title story is that of a boy who must destroy the world so he can save humanity.

It’s Like the Full Moon - A romantic comedy; the first in a series. The mild-mannered Rebecca gets caught up in a most unlikely love-triangle and her BFF Lisa isn’t much help.

Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel – He’s a creature out of time. Mira’s a doctor trying to classify him. Beauty and the Beast meet Jekyll and Hyde in this paranormal romance with biblical influences. *40 Days and Nights of Eternal Curse- a nonfiction companion guide to the novel.

Eternal Curse: Battleground - A family saga that touches the past and future. Giovanni’s story brings you to tears as loss and duty blur the lines of hope for what is to come. *Battleground Survival 101- a nonfiction companion guide to the novel.

Chip and Skip Need Each Other & What Does Joe Need - Two simple, yet vibrant, stories teach young children, and those with special needs, the difference and importance of needs and wants, at home, school, and overall. Sold separately.

Plants and Animals Change Over Time & Land Changes Over Time - Two simple, yet vibrant, stories teach young children, and those with special needs, the importance and inevitability of change in living things and the world. Sold separately.

If you aren’t familiar with me yet, don’t worry; this is your chance to learn that I love Batman, Betty Boop, Star Wars, and Angels. I like all kinds of angels. Good ones, bad ones, and even creatures with wings that look like angels. I don’t think it’s just a matter of wings. There are some winged creatures I don’t like such as flying monkeys or seagulls. LOL! But seriously, I’ve grown fond of angel lore and stories about and or containing angel-like creatures. Heck, I even write about them in my Eternal Curse Series. While my books are influenced by Bible tales, a many angel stories are not. Either way, if it’s about angels, I’m probably going to like it. Here’s a list and giveaway of the Top 5 angel books I’ve read in at least the last ten years; in no particular order.

Ninja News

Just a week to go to send in your submission for the IWSG Anthology Contest!
You have until November 1…

For those who like audio books or would like to see if you’d like it, you can listen to a sample of Dragon of the Stars on SoundCloud.

New release!
Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library
Book 2: Fairday Morrow Series
By Jessica Haight & Stephanie Robinson
Middle grade mystery from Willow Press

Fairday Morrow had no clue that moving from Manhattan to the small town of Ashpot, Connecticut, would lead to an unsolved mystery. Her parents’ dream of renovating a crumbling Victorian, called the Begonia House, into a bed and breakfast had seemed like treachery at the time. But Fairday found out that her new house kept secrets, and once inside its twisted front gates, anything was possible. When mysterious notes start showing up warning that a librarian is in trouble and a bookworm is eating words, Fairday thinks the Begonia House has more skeletons in its closets. What happens to stories when their words get eaten?

Recommended Halloween Reads:

Since I won’t post again until November 1, I’m sharing some good Halloween reads from my publisher.
Some are spooky, some are creepy, and some just full of tension:

Bloodwalker by L.X. Cain
Matowak: Woman Who Cries – Joylene Nowell Butler
Maski: Broken but not Dead– Joylene Nowell Butler
Parallels: Felix Was Here – IWSG Anthology
Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life – IWSG Anthology

What would you recommend?

Have you seen any of those horror films? What decoration do you want in your front yard – and why? Ready to try some new books from Toi? Entered the IWSG Anthology Contest? And who is up for a scary good read?

See you November 1 for the IWSG monthly posting!