CassaSeries, Jurassic World Review, RiffTrax on At Midnight, Movie Trivia, and Ninja News

I’m back from vacation! Did you miss me?

Today I am visiting Karen Lange with outlining tips and how to avoid a messy first draft.

CassaSeries

My publisher has put my Cassa books into an eBook boxed set and it is slated for release June 22, 2015! You can pre-order it now.

CassaSeries
By Alex J. Cavanaugh
ISBN 9781939844118
Price - $5.99
Science fiction/adventure (FIC028010) and science fiction/space opera (FIC028030)
Find it here – Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Goodreads

Movie Review -Jurassic World

The fourth installment starts with a theme park built on the same island as Jurassic Park, complete with a main street, petting zoo, rides, and thousands of visitors. All havoc breaks loose when a deadly hybrid dinosaur escapes.

Let’s face it – no matter what they do, they will never capture the magic that was Jurassic Park. Yes, the park is now a functioning theme park, the special effects are great, and the new dinosaurs are fearsome. But the genie is already out of the bottle…

Chris Pratt is the best part of the film as a kick-butt raptor trainer. He proves he can lead films and do a diversity of roles.

While it’s always fun to return to the Jurassic world, and who doesn’t dig seeing dinosaurs running around, this film did have issues and some plot holes. It shouldn’t be a leave your brain at the door kind of film, but if you’re going to enjoy it, you’ll have to.

My biggest issue was a lack of contingencies should one of the dinosaurs escape. They said the hybrid had an implant that would zap her if she got to close to the main park, and yet other escaping dinosaurs seemed to lack this. Plus with this kind of park, there should be more backup than a few guys with tranquilizers.

My other issues was with the sphere ride and how riders could just take the ball anywhere. Now, I’ve been to enough theme parks to know that almost all rides are on tracks and the rider does not control anything. Letting patrons roam around the valley as long as they wanted with really big dinosaurs around seemed like a bad idea. (And it was.)

There were numerous other issues I won’t go into, like flat characters and plot details that went nowhere.

I really wanted to love this film, especially after seeing the good reviews, but I’d have to place it as my third favorite behind Jurassic Park and The Lost World. It was better than the third, but not by a lot.

Leave brain at door and watch just for the big dinosaurs and Chris Pratt.

RiffTrax on At Midnight with Chris Hardwick

The RiffTrax guys – Mike, Kevin, and Bill – appeared on the show on June 9. It’s a ‘game show’ that has contestants coming up with funny lines to go with situations, images, and hashtags.

It was the first time those three had been on Comedy Central since Mystery Science Theater 3000 was cancelled.

And it was hilarious!

Mike had some of the best one-liners:

#worstrealityshow – Are You Taller Than a Fifth Grader?

Scene with teen boys running into villain in an S&M mask – Oh no, we wandered into Andy Dick’s backyard!

The host mentioned he couldn’t hear Kevin’s voice without picturing Tom Servo. When Kevin offered a very raunchy one-liner, Chris said that had erased the image forever.

Bill won the game with a line that I can't really repeat here...

Watch it streaming at Hulu

Ninja News

There is a huge giveaway of adult and young adult books happening this week! It starts Tuesday, and a couple of my books are included. See Jessica Therrien’s site for a full list and to enter. Open until June 30.

Available Now -
Roses Are Red by JB Kantt
Buy it at Amazon US and Amazon UK

Movie Trivia

Answers from last week:
1 - This 1975 movie with Doug McClure took place during WWI and involved a German sub finding a place called Caprona. The Land That Time Forgot 
2 – This 1969 film was half Western and involved a T-Rex. The Valley of Gwangi
3 – This 1988 animated film spawned many, many sequels. The Land Before Time
4 – This 1997 movie involved two groups of people with different agendas on an island with dinosaurs. The Lost World
5 – This 1993 film was produced by Roger Corman, spawned two sequels, and starred Diane Ladd. Carnosaur

This week, an easy one – name the monster or creature in these films:

1 – Hellraiser 1997
2 – Reign of Fire 2002
3 – Near Dark 1987
4 – Lake Placid 1999
5 – Battleship 2012
6 – Deep Blue Sea 1999

Answers next Monday!

Did you see Jurassic World this past weekend? Anyone catch the RiffTrax guys on At Midnight? Get any of the trivia right? Know the monsters this week? And anyone want to help me announce the release of the CassaSeries trilogy next week?

Don’t forget to visit Karen Lange!

The Final Countdown...

And no, I don’t mean that crappy 80’s song by Europe! The 80’s science fiction movie would be all right though.
Actually, it’s more like the countdown to Alex’s meltdown…

But I have a really cool surprise for you guys!!!

First, thanks to everyone who visited Ray Gun Revival for my interview this week. It didn’t go up until almost noon, so check it out if you missed it. Many thanks to author Bryan Thomas Schmidt for interviewing me and reviewing CassaFire!

Next, HUGE thanks to Jeremy at Retro-Zombie for the cool CassaFire banners! One at the top and there’s another at the bottom of my blog. If you need any stylish artwork, Jeremy is your dude. You can also win a Zombie Pencil Holder from Jeremy! Visit his SITE for details.

Lee has put out the call – a thousand participants signed up for the A to Z Challenge by March 1! If you haven’t signed up yet, you do NOT want to miss the biggest blog event of the year. Details and sign up HERE

Don’t forget February 28 is the Catch Fire! Blog Party! I sent out information earlier this week, so if you signed up but didn’t receive an email, let me know. There’s still time to sign up for a chance to win one of five copies of CassaFire:

Now, the surprise!

Next week kicks off my two-week/ten stops blog tour for CassaFire. I have some awesome guest stops planned, some with giveaways as well. But the party won’t go dark here! During those ten days, in addition to telling you where to find the Ninja that day, there will be:

Daily Ninja News
Pop Culture Trivia
Random Ninja Facts

And…

For everyone who comments here during my two-week tour, you will be entered to win this cool prize package from my publisher:

Is that not awesome? I want a CassaFire tote bag and mug! Not that I drink coffee. Or tea. But I do like hot chocolate.

So there you have it! Ready for two weeks of Ninja partying? Ready to test your pop culture knowledge? Ready to place bets as to whether I sleep or not next week? Ready to watch the meltdown…? (Cleanup on aisle three!) 

*And as a side note, I'm sick! I get sick once every five years and today I came home feeling like crap. Was supposed to do a book festival on Saturday, but doubt that will happen now. Better feel goo by Tuesday!

Movie Reviews! Free books! Ninjas on Holiday!

Dogs and cats, living together – mass hysteria!

And this Ninja is going on holiday. (Rusty don’t panic when you don’t see my regular posts.) I won’t post again until after Christmas, although I will be lurking…

My guest post is now up at Daily Write, offering tips for writers who blog. Damyanti must think I know what I’m doing!

Today it’s my turn at the Debutante Ball: Feast of Debut Authors! 

Before I dive into all that, I’ve got a couple movie reviews for you. Yeah, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Like the first film, this movie is a lot of fun and full of great humor. The action set pieces were solid and I enjoyed the cat-and-mouse game between Holmes and Morarity. And of course, the interplay between Holmes and Watson is priceless. Another solid entry and I can’t wait for another Sherlock Holmes movie! Between this and Iron Man, Downey is set for life.

Arthur Christmas 
The perfect Christmas movie for the kids, old and young! It was cute and laugh out loud funny. Really sweet spirit and message about dedication to a belief and to family. From the creators of Flushed Away and featuring the voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, and Bill Nighy. I actually liked it better than The Muppets. Take the kids and go!

Now the main feature! The Debutante Ball: Feast of Debut Authors is three weeks of giveaways – and today, I’m the highlight.

CassaStar 

To pilot the fleet’s finest ship…
Few options remain for Byron, a talented young man with a troubled past and rebellious attitude. Slated to train as a Cosbolt pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth and begin a new life. Much to his chagrin, Bassa, the toughest instructor in the fleet, takes notice of the young pilot. As war brews on the edge of space, Byron requires a navigator of exceptional quality to survive. Bassa must make a decision that could well decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission that may stretch their abilities to the limit?

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal

Available in all eBook forms and at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon UK.

If sucked into CassaStar… I’d be Byron. (I mean really, who else who I be?) If made into a movie, Byron would be played by Chris Pine.

The Giveaway- (Because I’m not telling you all of this for nothing!)
Copy of CassaStar 
Review copy of CassaFire, due out February 28, 2011 – see five star reviews on Edi’s Book Lighthouse and Fantasy Nibbles!
Bookmarks, postcards, and stuff, courtesy of my publisher

To enter-
Leave a comment - must be a followers
Tweet this giveaway for a second entry (hashtag #CASSA)
Blog about this giveway for another entry (please let me know if you do!)

Open through December 31, 2011 – Winner announced on January 4, 2012

Even if you have a copy, it would make an awesome gift. (Or doorstop, although it’s not that big.)

Comment and don't forget my Ninja tips at Daily Write!

Everyone have a wonderful, blessed Christmas - however you celebrate the holidays!

Any one else see Sherlock Holmes? Following the Debutante Ball? In need of writer blogging tips? Catch the movie quote at the beginning of this post?