The Complicated Writing Life! Plus Who’s Your Hero Blogfest, Scary Places, Death Star Pumpkin, and Ninja News

Today I welcome friend and fellow author, Liesel Hill!

Complications I Wish Were Part of my Writing Life

As a writer, life is never complex, right? There’s always plenty of time to do what needs to get done, plenty of opportunity to complete our running list of tasks, plenty of “us” time on top of everything else life throws at us. Right? So, here are some complications I wish I could add to my busy writing life:

1) I wish I didn’t have all day to write. I wish I had to work a day job that would significantly cut into my writing time and complicate my thought processes.

Oh, wait. I do!

2) I wish I didn’t have the ability to isolate myself from the world to write. I wish there were other people, especially children, bursting in, whining, needing things, or just being cute and pulling me away from my work.

Oh, wait. There are!

3) I wish there were other things that needed to be done on top of my writing. You know, errands, housework, food preparation, just the jumble of day to day living to take away from my precious writing time.

Oh, wait. There is!

4) I wish writing didn’t come easily to me. I wish that I often had to slave for hours over the keyboard, then scrap everything and start over. I wish I had to write, re-write, and re-write again so many times it made my head spin.

Oh, wait. I do!

5) I wish publication weren’t such an easy process. I wish it was something I had to work for, honing my craft for years without any real guarantee of traditional success.

Oh, wait. It is!

So, why do we do it? Why do we novelists continue to churn out book after book when most of the world would have quite two pages in?

Because we just. Freakin’. Love it.

Happy writing everyone! May this coming holiday season complicate the heck out of your writing life! :D

I’ve recently put out book 2 of my dystopian series, Quantum Entanglement as well as book 1 of a new crime drama series, entitled Dark Remnants. Both are $0.99 for a limited time!

Ninja News

Thanks to everyone who sent out messages on Facebook and Twitter for W4WS on Monday! I really appreciate it.

Don’t forget to sign up for the How I Miss You blogfest on November 8.

Sean McLachlan won the 2013 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, taking the gold in the Personal Comment category for his article Video Games with a Refugee, part of his Iraq travel series on the Gadling travel blog. Congratulations, Sean!

Rachel Schieffelbein and her horse won this past weekend – they are the Arabian and Half-Arabian US Nationals Champion. Congratulations, Rachel!


Want to see some creepy places? Check out Roland Yeomans’ POST and read about the abandoned amusement park, the Winchester Mystery House, and the Suicide Forest.

CassaStorm is on Goodreads’ Best Space Opera list, feeling lonely at the bottom. Mini-Alex would be really happy to see it closer to CassaStar and CassaFire, which are at the top!

Amazing Pumpkin Carving!

From Urlesque:

Who’s Your Hero Blogfest

JL Campbell is celebrating the release of her novel, Saving Sam, which coincides with National Heroes’ Day celebrations in Jamaica. She’s asked us to write about our source of inspiration.

I’m fortunate to have so many amazing people in my life. My parents are heroes. So is my wife. And so are many of you. All of the struggles you face, and yet you continue to push for your dreams. It’s very inspiring.

If I have to name just one though, I’d choose the person who has given me the most inspiration and peace in my life. As a born-again Christian, my Lord and Savior is my hero, and Jesus sets the most incredible example. I want to display the same loving and servant heart He possesses. I’ll never measure up, but He gives me a standard to aim for.

Who is your hero?

Do you wish for any of those things Liesel listed? Sign up for the blogfest? Check out the creepy places? Dig the pumpkin? And who is your hero?

Teleportation! Plus My W4WS Day, How I Miss You Blogfest, Ninja News, and Horror Taglines Trivia Answers

Today I tackle teleportation at Stephen Tremp’s awesome SITE! When did the concept emerge? How has it figured into science fiction? And is it possible…?

Writers4Writers

Hosted by Stephen Tremp, Mary Pax, Christine Rains, and CM Brown.

I have the honor of sharing W4WS today with the awesome Isis Rushdan. That’s right! It’s the Ninja’s turn today. And was it ever difficult coming up with the Tweets and Facebook posts.

Thank you to the hosts and to all the W4WS members – and anyone else who helps – for your efforts today.

For Twitter –

For fans of #StarWars and #Heinlein – CassaStorm by @alexjcavanaugh Amazon Best Selling author http://tinyurl.com/n9hrssx #W4WS #spaceopera

Space opera with heart – the Amazon Best Selling series by @alexjcavanaugh http://tinyurl.com/n5qdaqt #spaceopera #bestseller #W4WS

“CassaStorm pushes the limits…” best-selling #spaceopera by @alexjcavanaugh http://tinyurl.com/n9hrssx #W4WS #scifi

For Facebook-

"CassaStorM is a touching and mesmerizing space opera full of action and emotion with strong characters and a cosmic mystery." - Edi's Book Lighthouse. From the Amazon Best Selling author Alex J. Cavanaugh http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/ Available in print and eBook at Amazon http://tinyurl.com/n9hrssx, B&N, iTunes, and others. Watch the trailer on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Umm2l0XdHc&feature=youtu.be #W4WS

For fans of Heinlein and Star Wars – space opera with a heart! CassaStorm concludes the Amazon Best Selling series by Alex J. Cavanaugh. http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/ Available in print and eBook at Amazon http://tinyurl.com/n9hrssx, B&N, iTunes, and others. #W4WS

Ninja News

Nicole Zoltack’s Black Hellbore is out today in eBook – print coming in January. Congratulations, Nicole!

Rachel Morgan’s The Faerie War is out today!! Congratulations, Rachel. You have wrapped up your awesome trilogy.

Milo James Fowler had some exciting news this weekend - Captain Bartholomew Quasar and the Space-Time Displacement Conundrum, his first novel, will be published next year! The novel will first be serialized for subscribers, followed by an eBook and print release. Congratulations, Milo!

Cherie Reich’s epic YA short story, Magna’s Plea, is available and free at Amazon. Congratulations, Cherie!

Toinette Thomas is celebrating her birthday today by independently publishing two new works of fiction! Happy birthday, Toinette. I think you mentioned cupcakes…?

Kyra Lennon is hosting the Game On Bloghop October 28-31. To celebrate the second edition release of Game On, Kyra wants to know – who is your sports crush? Get the details at her site.

Remember, every Monday is a new post at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group website. We’ve also added a lot of new sites to the databanks, so check often.

Pat at it’s Rhyme Time created this video - Orlin The Rhyming Cat - The Ninja Wannabe. If you’ve visited Pat and read about the Ninja Wannabe, no need to be confused, it’s just me. (A rhyme in your honor, Pat!) As if the lyrics and head-butting from a cat puppet weren’t enough, just wait until you see what Cassie does with me in the end…

Horror Movie Tagline Trivia Answers

1 - Ding dong. You're dead. 1986 House
2 - Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas. 1992 Army of Darkness
3 - Man is the warmest place to hide. 1992 The Thing
4 - The good news is your dates are here. The bad news is…they're dead. 1986 Night of the Creeps
5 - The night HE came home. 1978 Halloween
6 - Herbert West has a very good head on his shoulders...and another one in a dish on his desk. 1985 Re-Animator

The Second Annual Oh, How I Miss You Blogfest! 

November 8, 2013 - hosted by Andrew Leon, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and Matthew MacNish

The bloggers we really miss…and the ones we would really miss!

Do you have a couple blogger buddies who aren’t posting as often? Those who’ve pulled back and seem absent from the blogging world? Do you have blogger buddies you are grateful they are still around and would miss if they vanished? Now is your chance to show your appreciation and spotlight them!

On November 8, list one to three bloggers you really miss and one to three bloggers you would miss if they stopped blogging. Then go leave a comment on those blogs.

Our blogger friends are special – time to let them know!

Sign up below!



Thanks to all who send out the W4WS messages! Picking up some new books? Enjoy the video – even at my expense? Get any of the trivia correct? And can you think of some bloggers you miss…?

Don’t forget to visit Stephen Tremp!

CassaStorm Launch Week! Awesome Tour Stops and Prizes! Plus Cassa Facts, Cassa Trivia, and Ninja News

I was incredibly honored when Natalie asked to be part of my tour. Literary Rambles is a HUGE site, focusing on children’s and young adult books. Today’s stop is an interview at Literary Rambles, focusing on my books and blogging tips. Natalie, really appreciate it!


For those who don’t blog on the weekend, I was also honored with a guest post at a Writer’s Digest Best Site - Anne R Allen’s Blog - where I outlined how to create an online community. Anne often features New York Times best-selling authors, so it was an incredible privilege to contribute to her site. Thanks, Anne!!


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!

And tomorrow night is the RUSHED Twitter party! Between 8:00 and 9:00 pm EST, follow the hashtag #RUSHED for an hour of fun, questions, answers, treasure hunts, and giveaways. Hosted by the awesome Lynn Rush and featuring giveaways from both of us. It’s my first ever Twitter party, so I hope someone shows up!

Ninja News

Writers4Writers is today! Visit Cherie Reich and Helen Ginger for their suggested Tweets and Facebook posts.

Roland Yeomans is hosting the HAPPY HALLOWEEN BLOGFEST. “From now until Halloween describe the book that scared you the most and what you think of my LUCIFER'S ORPHAN serial monthly trilogy.” Winner receives an autographed Brad Pitt photo. See Roland’s site for details.

Great opportunity! Lynn Kelley posted this: “Attention teachers and librarians! The Emblazoner’s New Catalog – filled with great middle grade and tween titles your students and patrons will love – is coming soon! To celebrate, we’re holding a giveaway of stuff you can use: gift cards to add books to your collection and swag to hand out to your students and patrons. The giveaway is from September 16th – 23rd!”

Jackie at Bouquet of Books and Dani at Entertaining Interests are hosting Spooktoberfest the last week of October. See their sites for details.

RaShelle Workman’s latest is out - Volume 2 in the Cindy Chronicles - Witch Land. Congratulations, RaShelle – you rock!

Cassa Facts

One of the influences on my first book was the original Battlestar Galactica series. (As Bob so aptly nailed in his review.)

When I rewrote the story several years ago, I still envisioned the Galactica’s fighters when describing the Cassan’s Cosbolts. In the first round of edits with my publisher, they suggested I alter the ships and make them more unique. While I didn’t picture them exactly as the cover artist depicted, they still came out rather cool.

And I still got to use that basic design for the smaller Dartens!

Battlestar Galactica’s fighters weren’t the only idea I used. In the series, Apollo had a sister, Athena. I shortened the name and came up with Athee. (So, for those of you still wondering how to pronounce Athee, it’s Athena without the ‘na.’)

Cassa Trivia!

Since it was an early influence, here is some original Battlestar Galactica trivia for you!


1 – What was the name of the Galactica’s fighters?

2 – Boxey had a mechanical daggit for a pet – what was its name?

3 – Who played Starbuck?

4 – Four pilots were in almost every episode – Captain Apollo, Lt. Starbuck, Lt. Boomer, and Flight Sgt. ____

5 – Who played Serina, Boxey’s mother, in the first three episodes?

6 – At the time, it was the most expensive television show ever. How much did each episode cost to make?

7 – Who was the head writer and executive producer of the series?

One more day! Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing. Big thanks to all who are announcing this week.

See any good blogfests or opportunities? Anyone else watch the original Battlestar Galactica? Know any of the trivia? Placing bets on whether I sleep tonight or not…?

Please be sure to visit Literary Rambles! And Anne R Allen’s Blog if you missed it yesterday.