Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology Winners! Plus Knives Out and Frozen II Reviews, December Movie Preview, and Ninja News

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.


My awesome co-hosts today are Tonja Drecker, Beverly Stowe McClure, Nicki Elson, Fundy Blue, and Tyrean Martinson!

Please note – since the next first Wednesday falls on New Year’s Day, we will be posting for the IWSG on the following Wednesday, January 8!

December 4 question - Let's play a game. Imagine. Role-play. How would you describe your future writer self, your life and what it looks and feels like if you were living the dream? Or if you are already there, what does it look and feel like? Tell the rest of us. What would you change or improve?

Skipping the question today. But I do want to announce I finished the first draft of my story (currently dubbed CassaDark) last week! Now to the edits which will involve upping the word count.

Announcing the winners of the IWSG Anthology Contest!

Coming May 5, 2020 -

Voyagers: The Third Ghost

Middle grade historical/adventure
Featuring these stories and authors:
The Third Ghost – Yvonne Ventresca
Winter Days - Katharina Kolata
Feathered Fire – Roland Clarke
The Ghosts of Pompeii – Sherry Ellis
Dare Double Dare – Louise MacBeath Barbour
The Blind Ship – Bish Denham
A World of Trouble – Rebecca M. Douglass
The Orchard - Beth Anderson Schuck
Return to Cahokia – L.T. Ward
Simon Grey and the Yamamba - Charles Kowalski

We’d like to thank our amazing judges:
Elizabeth S. Craig, author and honorary judge
Dianne K. Salerni, author
Lynda Dietz, editor
S.A. Larsen, author
Rachna Chhabria, author
Lindsay Davis Auld, agent - Writers House
Tonja Drecker, author
David Powers King, author

And a big thanks to everyone who entered! There were some great stories.

Our previous IWSG anthologies -
Masquerade: Oddly Suited
Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime
Hero Lost: The Mysteries of Death and Life
Parallels: Felix Was Here


Nominations for best writing website are now open at The Write Life!
Please go nominate the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

The WEP Challenge for December – Footprints.

And the theme came from our very own IWSG Admin, Tyrean Martinson!

Footprints in the sand...Footprints in the snow...and they don't have to be human - alien, monster, unknown creatures...all up for grabs.

The next #IWSGPit will be in January 15, 2020, 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.

Did you know the IWSG has a Goodreads Book Club? Why the heck not?
If you’re on Goodreads, join this group to learn and grow as a writer.

Ninja News

Got an early Christmas present – this year’s three RiffTrax Live events on DVD! Plus some other fun stuff.

Want some great gift ideas? Make it a Bookmas!

Visit Tui Snider or Patricia Lynne for a list of great books.

Your Words, Your Life Story: A Journal for Sharing Memories by J.Q. Rose
The story of your life, the struggles, the joys, the accomplishments, will be what the next generations understand. Your account will be a guide to help them through their own lives. Start now to put together the stories that make up your life story, a treasured family keepsake.
Find it on Amazon

Movie Reviews

Knives Out
An eccentric family unravels when the wealthy patriarch dies…or was he murdered? A famous detective is hired anonymously to investigate.
One word – entertaining!
This film is a classic whodunit, with Daniel Craig, sporting a Southern accent, chewing up scenery as the detective. Twists and turns abound as you see the truth, what the characters think is truth, and what they want the inspector to believe.
The ensemble cast brings it – Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer – even Frank Oz! Ana de Armas shines as Marta, the patriarch’s nurse.
If you’re looking for a movie for adults (while highly entertaining and funny, the pace would bore kids) then this is the film for you. You’ll be talking about it for hours afterwards.
Highly recommended!

Frozen II
One reviewer said this movie was like a snowflake – dissolves on contact. And that’s pretty accurate. As I’m writing this review a week after seeing the film, I’m struggling to remember it.
You’ll enjoy it while watching and of course kids will eat it up. Olaf has some hilarious lines. And the animation is stunning. But it’s a thin plot with way too many songs. (The one with Kristoff and Sven is cringe-worthy.) And slight spoiler – a fifth element? Haven’t we seen that movie already? I was waiting for Leeloo to show up with her multi-pass.
There are worse ways to blow two hours though.

December Movie Preview

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

13 –

Jumanji: The Next Level
In Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to rescue one of their own, the players will have to brave parts unknown from arid deserts to snowy mountains, to escape the world's most dangerous game.
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan
Two years since the first film and I’m still shocked how much I enjoyed it…

20 –

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga.
Director: J.J. Abrams
Stars: Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Billie Lourd, Lupita Nyong'o
Spoiler – Ewoks invade earth and attack all the whiny fan boys who hated the last film.

27 –

1917
Two young British privates during the First World War are given an impossible mission: deliver a message deep in enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, and one of the soldier's brothers, from walking straight into a deadly trap.
Director: Sam Mendes
Stars: Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden, Mark Strong
Not only the year of a world war but the year I graduated high school…

Excited to read Voyagers: The Third Ghost? Participating in WEP or #IWSGPit? See either Knives Out or Frozen II? And what movies are you seeing this month?

This will be my last post of this year, but I’ll poke in now and then during the next two weeks before Christmas.

Remember, the next IWSG post is January 8.

Have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Terminator: Dark Fate Review, November Movie Preview, and Ninja News

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.


My awesome co-hosts today are Sadira Stone, Patricia Josephine, Lisa Buie-Collard, Erika Beebe, and C. Lee McKenzie!

Today’s question - What's the strangest thing you've ever googled in researching a story?

Easy! When I was researching my Kagrandes in Dragon of the Stars, I turned to the real life super-tough creature, the Tardigrade. That little sucker can actually live in space with no air or food. It’s the toughest animal on earth. And while my Kargrandes aren’t nearly that tough, it was fascinating to learn about these tiny animals.
And if you would like to fall down that rabbit hole - Wikipedia

Good luck to those participating in NaNo. I'm focusing on finishing my story this month and have been writing 300-1100 words every day.

And we are now good for co-hosts through March! Thanks to all who left a comment or emailed me. 

The Write…Edit…Publish challenge for December:

Here is November’s IWSG Instagram:

Movie Review – Terminator: Dark Fate

Taking place twenty-five-plus years after Terminator 2: Judgement Day (and replacing the last three Terminator movies) this one brings a new target, a new champion, a new breed of Terminator, and two familiar faces to the screen.
This movie does not break new ground. After six movies, they’ve covered most of the angles.
However, I enjoyed the heck out of this one!
With a possible reboot to the series, this movie, sanctioned by James Cameron, delivers all the essentials for a good Terminator movie. (SPOILER – And the fans might finally get the ‘John Connor’ resistance movie they always wanted.)
The action scenes are incredible. Some amazing stunt work.
Special effects – really impressive. Wait until you see the new Terminator. One scary, unstoppable creature.
And then there’s the great cast. Linda Hamilton reprises her role as Sarah Conner and Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as a Terminator, and both add new depth to their roles. Both are damaged people trying to do their best. Newcomers Mackenzie Davis and Natalia Reyes have great chemistry as two young women trying to stay alive and outrun the Terminator.
Some scenes feel a little familiar, but they are executed so well and with such passion that they work. And you’ll enjoy them so much, you won’t care!
You like the original Terminator movies? You’ll enjoy this one!
Highly recommended.

Ninja News

Not Guilty by C. Lee Mckenzie
A blood-smeared knife. One young man’s word against another. A lifetime dream crushed.
Find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords

Out of Dreams: Nightmares by Charles Gramlich
Find it on Amazon

Chrys Fey is host the Favorite Holiday Memory Blog Hop on November 15.
Sign up at her site.

October Movie Preview

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

8 -

Doctor Sleep
Years following the events of "The Shining," a now-adult Dan Torrance meets a young girl with similar powers as his and tries to protect her from a cult known as The True Knot who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.
Director: Mike Flanagan
Stars: Rebecca Ferguson, Ewan McGregor, Carel Struycken, Jacob Tremblay
Here’s Ewan! Yeah, doesn’t have the same ring to it…

15 -

Ford vs. Ferrari 
American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford and challenge Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
Director: James Mangold
Stars: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal
Obviously, it’s the start of a franchise. Next up – Chevy vs. Bugatti, Kia vs. Lamborghini…

22 –

Frozen II
Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa's powers in order to save their kingdom.
Directors: Chris Buck | Jennifer Lee
Stars: Jason Ritter, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Evan Rachel Wood
Frozen 2: Electric Olaf-loo!

29 –

Knives Out
A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.
Director: Rian Johnson
Stars: Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana de Armas, Edi Patterson, Toni Collette, Chris Evans, Christopher Plummer, Don Johnson, Frank Oz
I grew up in the 70’s. I see this many big names in a film, I’m expecting an earthquake or a ship to overturn…

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever researched? Did you catch the new Terminator film? And what movies catch your attention for this month?

Next Monday is a holiday and I'll be visiting family that week, so I will catch you again on November 18.

#RiffTrax Live – Invasion of the Giant Spiders, Top 15 #MST3K Episodes, Missing Link Review, and Ninja News

I have a post at the IWSG site today - Ten Ways to Support Other Authors.

Please check it out!

RiffTrax: Live – Invasion of the Giant Spiders

Another great show!

First there was a 60’s short with marionettes about phone lines and etiquette. The main marionette’s name was Handy, so the jokes took a bit of a dirty turn.

Then came the main feature, staring Alan Hale from Gilligan’s Island. And yes, his very first line was ‘Hey, little buddy!’

The story of a meteor crashing, creating a black hole, and releasing spiders from another dimension as barely thought out. (The giant spider was a VW with legs!) However, that just gave the guys full reign to make fun of its Wisconsin location and scream ‘Packers!’ often.

At one point, Alan Hale (as the sheriff who never left his office) got a phone call, and Mike said ‘You want me to bend over at a forty-five degree angle?’ It continued, but the funniest part was Bill and Kevin both cracking up at Mike’s deadpan delivery.

This was originally a Mystery Science Theater 3000 movie and props to the guys for not repeating any jokes.

Overall hilarious and the only way to watch the film! If you missed it, the encore is August 20.

Now enjoy some of the preshow slides:

Top Fifteen Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episodes

Why fifteen? Because there were too many for ten!

Spanning almost thirty years and three hosts, here are the funniest MST3K episodes ever:

#15 – Lost Continent – Rock climbing, guys, rock climbing…
#14 – Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders – Stories about artifacts taken from Merlin’s shop, or as I like to call it – ‘Ernest Borgnine Has Bills to Pay’
#13 – Space Mutiny – So bad, they did it twice - it was also a RiffTrax: Live
#12 – Cry Wilderness - The touching story of a boy and his Sasquatch
#11 – Laserblast – one alien weapon, one rock embedded in a goofy kid’s chest, and one Roddy McDowall gleefully going off a cliff to avoid being in the rest of the movie…

#10 – The Creeping Terror – Victims actually have to crawl into its mouth to be eaten. And watch out for the band number – it’ll be stuck in your brain forever.
#9 – Mac and Me – You’ll believe a boy in a wheelchair can fly – and roll down a hill and off a cliff.
#8 – Pod People – Watch Trumpy do stupid things!

#7 – Prince of Space – aka, Attack of the Chicken People.
#6 – Wild Rebels – bikers, drugs, the 60’s, and Ross Hagan – Google him! He did a lot of bad, bad movies.
#5 – Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues – No one puts Boggy Creek Baby in a corner!
#4 – Time of the Apes – no one stays long in Johnny’s world – would you?

#3 – Cave Dwellers – It’s got O’Keefe. How much? Miles…
#2 – Parts: The Clonus Horror – Hi, I’m Peter Graves. Tonight on Biography – I star in a really bad film about clones.

And the number one MST3K episode – 

Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster 

Now shag on out there beanie-boy and fix that whoop-whoop noise!


Honorable mention goes to The Phantom Planet and Invasion of the Neptune Men.


How many of those episodes have you seen? (How many of the films have you had the misfortune of seeing without MST3K’s help?) Many are available on DVD, from NetFlix and Amazon, from the MST3K site, and on the MST3K Pluto TV channel. Sadly, you won’t be able to find Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster as they only leased it for five years. Unless you find someone like me who recorded almost every episode and now has them all on DVD!

Movie Review

Missing Link
A British ‘big and unusual game hunter’ travels to the USA to find Sasquatch.
First, I do want to note that the stop motion is amazing. There is also some computer animation blended in the background, and it all looks incredible.
However, the story was rather blah. Plus it was a very uneven film, with sprinkles of humor spread way too thin. It went for cheap, easy laughs. And missed. You want to see a movie about Yeti, go watch Smallfoot instead.
I’m not sure what the message of the film even was. Your dreams will be dashed – just be happy where you are? That’s what I got out of it anyway.
It was made by the studio that brought us Kobo and the Two Strings, which is a far superior film. Kobo was much more expressive, moving, and a complete story.
Unless you just really have to hear Hugh Jackman’s voice (also includes Zoe Saldana, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Thompson, David Walliams, Timothy Olyphant, and Stephen Fry), I’d skip this one.
Not recommended

Ninja News

Just two weeks left to enter the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Annual Anthology Contest!
Genre is middle grade historical – either adventure or fantasy – and the theme is voyagers.
See the site for full details.

The WEP Challenge for August is Red Wheelbarrow.
Post your entry this week and then add you link to the WEP site.

Anyone else catch the RiffTrax show? What are your favorite MST3K episodes? Seen Missing Link? And are you entering the IWSG Anthology Contest or WEP competition?

See you all September 4 for the next IWSG post day – and the deadline for entering the contest!

And be sure to check out Ten Ways to Support Other Authors.

Venom Review; IWSG, WEP, and Special Course; Extended Aquaman Trailer; New Releases; and Movie Trivia

Venom Review

Tom Hardy’s character acquires a symbiote from space while snooping around an eccentric billionaire’s science lab. He and Venom become one.
I had a lot of fun watching this one. The action shots are a bit of a throwback, and the film is a mix of superhero, science fiction, horror, monster, thriller, and action. Add some humor and a dash of romance and you have quite the blender movie.
Now I’ve never read the Venom comics, so I don’t know how close it stuck to the source material. I will say the villain was a bit two-dimensional and could’ve used a bit more empathy and fleshing out.
Hardy, however, was great in the role. He pulled off the physical humor well and it will remind you a little of Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead II. It’s Hardy’s performance that sells the story and he was brilliant.
The relationship between Hardy’s character and Venom was great and rather funny. Again, credit to Hardy for pulling it off. The story played the human element right, giving the relationships just enough screen time.
And all head chomping by Venom is done off-screen.
It’s not a great film but it’s definitely a fun way to pass the time. Recommended.

Extended Aquaman Trailer

Over five minutes of awesomeness!

IWSG

Thanks to everyone who participated last week, including the awesome co-hosts and admins.

Speaking of co-hosts we need some!!! We need two more for November 7. Plus if you can co-host on January 2 (the day we announce the winners of the IWSG Anthology Contest), that would be great.
Co-hosts just have to visit twenty blogs in their given range.
Leave a comment here or email me if you want to volunteer. It’s more fun on the host side…

We have a date for the next #IWSGPit Twitter pitch – January 15, 2019!

Visit the IWSG site for details.

You don’t want to miss it.

Don’t forget that the IWSG has partnered with Write…Edit…Publish!
This month’s challenge - Déjà vu or Voodoo.
Add your name to the list, write your story, post on your blog or Facebook, and visit others.
And there are prizes!
Full details at the WEP site regarding genre, length, etc.
Déjà vu or Voodoo – do you?



Here are the propts for the IWSG Instagram the next two months:

IWSG member Christopher Votey has created a cool course and program and IWSG members get a discount!

My course is Digital Notes Organizer – Making Your Personal Encyclopedia. The first part will teach you how to put a wiki on your computer that is 100% private and secure and can be integrated with Dropbox for backup purposes and being able to share with others.
The second part of the course teaches you how to use wiki software, great for your installation and for being able to edit any online wiki (ie, Wikipedia, Wikia).
My course is $49.99, but I want to do something special for all of those who’ve show support for this site. When you check out, enter the following codes:
IWSG80 – Get Course for $9.99 (10 Available)
IWSG50 – Get Course for $24.99 (20 Available)
IWSG25 – Get Course for $36.99 (50 Available)
Get the full details at Christopher’s site and take advantage of his generosity!


Finally, this is the last month to submit to the IWSG Anthology Contest.
Young adult romance is the genre and masquerade the theme.
Entry is free, just need to be a member of the IWSG on some level.
See the site for details.
Don’t miss this opportunity to be in a royalty-paying anthology!

New Releases

Elements of Untethered Realms
A supernatural compilation of the anthologies Twisted Earths , Mayhem in the Air , Ghosts of Fire , and Spirits in the Water . These forty thrilling tales feature authors Angela Brown, Jeff Chapman, Cathrina Constantine, Julie Flanders, River Fairchild, Gwen Gardner, Misha/M. Gerrick, Meradeth Houston, Graeme Ing, Simon Kewin, M. Pax, Christine Rains, Cherie Reich, and Catherine Stine.
Find it on Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble

The Alien and the Teacher by Susan Kelley (Gourley)
Gwen is exhilarated to be part of Earth’s first space colony until a handsome alien with his own agenda makes contact.
Now available on Amazon

Raven’s Sight, Willow Harbor #8 by Juliana Haygert
Sometimes in order to let go of the past, we have to fight for our future…
Get it from these retailors



 

Movie Trivia

Anyone else see Venom? Excited for Aquaman? Can you co-host? Participating in WEP or the anthology contest? Picking up some new books? And do you know the trivia?