My Poetic, Awesome Online Mom, Ninja News, and MIB III Review

Today I have the honor of featuring one of my dearest blogger buddies, someone I often refer to as my online mom – author and poet, Yvonne Lewis.

I met Yvonne over two years ago during the very first A to Z Challenge. (Not me in the picture - that's Danny.) She is just such a wonderful person. Yvonne is loving, gentle, and very genuine. She also has a wonderful free spirit and an eye for beautiful moments. I just adore this gracious and special lady.

Her latest book, Written From the Heart, is a wonderful collection of her poetry. I was honored beyond words when she asked me to write a blurb for her book. Seeing my name on the back of her book was more thrilling than seeing my name on the front. Anyone can publish a book, but not everyone can give another author a meaningful quote. Yvonne, thank you again.

She is here today to share with you a little about her book:

WRITTEN FROM THE HEART:

This book that I wrote
Was to let the readers see.
That after many years of heartache,
There's fun and laughter in me.

Like going to the park,
And descend a slide
While my children and grandchildren
Conveniently disappear and hide.

The book also enlightens people
My blessings I do count.
There are many worse off than me,
That I do not doubt.

My love of traveling is evident to see,
Touring the U.S. and Spain.
So I can escape from
Britain's continual rain.

Also Daniel O Donnell concerts,
I really do enjoy.
I'd travel to the ends of the earth,
To see my "Danny Boy".

The "Blurb" of the book,
I'm proud of I confess.
For the final part was written
By fellow blogger Alex....no less.

I wrote this book in the first place,
To let the whole world see.
But most importantly
That my family would be proud of me.

I know some of you have already bought,
I'm so grateful for a start.
I think there's a poem for everyone,
In "Written From The Heart"

- Yvonne

Visit Yvonne at Welcome to My World of Poetry and purchase her book at Amazon You can also catch Yvonne today at the A to Z Blog where she answers a few questions about the Challenge, Danny Boy, and Arlee Bird.

Ninja News!

Author Andrew Leon at Strange Pegs has taken some of the stories from a class he taught at his kid’s school and created a book, Charter Shorts. Proceeds from the book benefit the school, which is really cool, so grab a copy today!

Wendy Tyler Ryan’s new book, Fire’s Children is out now! Long fight to make it happen so congratulations, Wendy.

This comes courtesy of Edi’s Book Lighthouse - Incredible Submarine Themed Rooms. If you have a thing for submarines or steampunk, you’ll enjoy these images.

Movie Review

Men in Black III
A vast improvement over MIB II, which lacked in the humor department. This one plays more like a straight adventure film, although Will Smith has some very funny lines. It involves time travel and wraps up a lot of plot ties. Best part was Josh Brolin’s performance as a young agent K – he nailed Tommy Lee Jones. Not a movie that you have to catch in the theater, but it was good.

Following Yvonne? Enjoy her poetry? Any news I missed? Did you see MIB III? Or did you contribute more money to The Avengers’ billion plus take?And is anyone else hooked on watching The Hatfields and McCoys?

Epic Ninja News and the YOU ROCK! Award

Did you miss me Wednesday? I'm taking a few days off here and there to work on my next book. (And heads up – I won’t be posting on Monday either.)

Today I have an interview/review over at Michael Pierce Books. Michael is the author of Provex City and I’m honored to have a guest spot at his blog today.

Epic Ninja News!

Ciara Knight is revealing the cover art for her next book today – Weighted! And you can add it to your Goodreads shelf now. Congratulations, Ciara!

Weighted is a young adult post-apocalyptic with paranormal elements. It is a prequel novelette to The Neumarian Chronicles, and will be released August 2012. Book I, Escapement, will be released in 2013.

Blurb: The Great War of 2185 is over, but my nightmare has just begun. I am being held captive in the Queen’s ship awaiting interrogation. My only possible ally is the princess, but I’m unsure if she is really my friend or a trap set by the Queen to fool me into sharing the secret of my gift. A gift I keep hidden even from myself. It swirls inside my body begging for release, but it is the one thing the Queen can never discover. Will I have the strength to keep the secret? I’ll know the answer soon. If the stories are true about the interrogators, I’ll either be dead or a traitor to my people by morning.

Michael Malone’s new book, Blood Tears, comes out in paperback on June 6, but it is available as an eBook now. Congratulations, Michael! Visit his site, May Contain Nuts, for the links.

“Lady Gwen” Gardner tipped me off about this opportunity - Sharon Bayliss just signed a publishing contract with Curiosity Quills Press, and she’s having an Editor-Judged query contest (May 25-28) with a chance at a publishing contract for the winner. Go visit her site HERE to sign up. Thanks, Gwen!

Alex’s YOU ROCK! Award

Every year, I give out the YOU ROCK! Award to up to five blogger buddies. These are people who have become very special to me and been supportive friends beyond the call of duty. Past recipients include: Jeffrey Beesler at World of the Scribe, Gail at Familiar Spirits, Rusty Webb at The Blutonian Death Egg, Chuck at Apocalypse Now, George at CineMarvellous, Lee at Tossing it Out, Yvonne Lewis at Welcome to my World of Poetry, RaShelle Workman at A No. 2 Pencil Stat, and Hannah (who sadly no longer blogs) at Musings of a Palindrome.

I know SO many awesome people online that it was nearly impossible to narrow it down to five. I could give this to a hundred bloggers. So I cheated and picked seven! This year’s YOU ROCK! recipients are:

Matthew at The QQQE
I met Matthew around two years ago and at once identified with his attitude and demeanor. Can’t think of many others who are as supportive, honest, and genuine as Matthew. You think I am a commenting and networking Ninja, but my inspiration came from this man. And after working with him on a couple blogfests and the Challenge, I know he is for real. Maybe one day we’ll meet. Until then – thanks, Matthew. You the man! And you rock!

Old Kitty at Ten Lives and Second Chances
They say there are no guarantees in life, but that’s only because they haven’t met Kitty! She is one of the most consistent, stable, and faithful bloggers I know. And her comments are guaranteed to make me laugh every time! After two years of her positive, spirited presence, I don’t know what I would do without her. And Charlie. Kitty, you are a total doll and the brightest spot in the blogging world. You rock!

Ella at Ella’s Edge 
I met Ella during the first Challenge and she is the most thoughtful person I know. Her creativity knows no bounds and I watch it unfold on her blog with awe. Ella’s words flow like a peaceful stream and helped me develop an appreciation for poetry. Even more, she is a devoted friend who exchanges meaningful comments and observations. (Meaningful on her part – I probably just sound lame.) Despite the vast differences in our blogs, there is much about Ella to which I can relate. Ella, you rock on every level!

M. Pax at Wistful Nebulae
Mary is one of those people who flies just under the radar sometimes. But she is always THERE. In fact, I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t there! Mary has so many unique interests and she’s involved on every level, which I really admire. We share a lot of science fiction and geek interests, so I know hanging out with her in person would be a damn good time. She’s a gifted writer, excellent photographer, and special friend. Mary, you rock!

Roland Yeomans at Writing in the Crosshairs
I’ve followed Roland’s blog for a long time although at first I felt too inadequate to leave an intelligent comment. (Still feel like that but I comment anyway. I’m sure I amuse him.) Roland has a deeper understanding of the world than most and an appreciation for the human spirit in all its complexities. He truly paints with words. I am honored to have a friendship with this wise and devoted person. Roland, you rock!

Melissa Bradley at Melissa’s Imaginarium
I’ve come to know Melissa through a mutual admiration of all things geek. (And just where were all you cool geek girls when I was in school?) She’s a talented author, movie expert, and strong woman who knows where she’s going in life. Her friendship is unwavering and she goes to great lengths to support those dear to her heart. It’s easy to think of her as just one of the guys, but Melissa is a true lady. My dear, you rock!

Jeremy Hawkins at Retro Zombie
Last but not least, we have Jeremy. This guy is uber-cool on so many levels. Visiting his site, you might think he’s quirky, but Jeremy is the sanity in the midst of insanity. He is the voice of reason, colored by that awesome wit of his. A talented author and artist, Jeremy is beyond generous and willing to do anything to help another person. I appreciate his sincerity, his honesty, and his always positive attitude. Jeremy, you rock!

Whoa! Excited about Ciara’s next book? Plan to pick up Michael’s book or enter the query contest? Following those seven bloggers who ROCK? Seeing Men in Black III this weekend? Any other Memorial Day Weekend plans? Don’t forget to visit Michael Pierce Books. And have an awesome weekend!

It’s All About the Movies – Author Jeremy Bates, Battleship Review, and Movie Trivia Answers

Triple movie threat for you today! First off, I have the awesome Jeremy Bates visiting. (Yes, I know a lot of awesome Jeremys – must be the name!) Jeremy’s new book, White Lies, is now available in hardback, paperback, and eBook formats. He’s here today to talk movies and plot contrivances. Take it, Jeremy!

First off, I’d like to thank Alex for getting me a spot on his blog! This place was one of the first blogs I found when I started blogging last year, and it’s my number one go-to for some good laughs and an update on anything happening in the writer’s blogosphere!

I love movies—a theme on this blog—and it kills me when I see idiotic plot contrivances. I mean, if a writer writes something screwy, I can forgive him or her because it’s one person on a budget of zero dollars putting thoughts to paper. Nevertheless, it’s mind boggling when Hollywood can’t put together a coherent script. Seriously, if you have a budget of fifty million dollars, splurge a hundred grand on a couple ambitious writers to proof read the script and brainstorm ways to iron out the wrinkles. Anyway, here are my top three movie idiocies of 2012!

· The Cold Light of Day: the protagonist and sidekick are chasing the rogue CIA woman in a massively long car chase to get a suitcase. They finally crash into her to get her to stop. She says something like “Now I’ve had it!” and pulls out her gun and begins to chase them in an equally long car chase! I actually laughed out loud in the theater at this disastrous lapse of logic. 

· Dark Shadows: Right at the end, the little girl turns into a werewolf and quips: “I'm a werewolf, let's not make a big deal out of it...woof.” No lead up, not even a hint; a complete deus ex machina. Come on, Tim, you can do better than this! 

· ATM: Three people trapped in an ATM booth. One crazy guy. There’s only one thing I can say about the entire premise here: It’s three against one! Attack him!

Wow. It actually feels good to get that rant off my chest! If you have can think of any ridiculous plot contrivances, post ‘em below! Would love to read some good ones!

Thanks, Jeremy!

Check out his Website and purchase his book on Amazon

Movie Review

Battleship
This is nothing more than a B movie with a massive budget. It out-does Michael Bay for over-the-top everything. The storyline is dumb. When they are calling out the locations of alien ships (B-19) I about lost it. And the missiles the aliens fire look like Battleship pegs – I kid you not! But you know what? It is a hell of a lot of fun! Acting not required, although everyone did all right in his or her part. The ships and the aliens are cool and the special effects nothing short of impressive. Watching large destroyers blow up is really impressive. It’s not art. It’s just a fun ride. I enjoyed it! Leave brain at door before entering theater and you will enjoy!

Movie Trivia Answers

“The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.” – Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight

“You know, I used to think it was benign neglect, but now I see that you are intentionally screwing me.” – Dr. Grace Augustine, Avatar

“C'mon. Let's go see how much we're going for on eBay.” – Hamm, Toy Story III

“Certainty of death, *small* chance of success... What are we waiting for?” – Gimli, LOTR: Return of the King

“I may have had... briefly, mind you... stirrings.” – Jack Sparrow, POTC: On Stranger Tides

And I keep an eye on the Amazon.con rankings, but I totally missed the Amazon.UK rankings for CassaStar and CassaFire, both of which are in several top one hundred lists. Whoa! Thanks to Laura at the Daily Dodo, author of 100 Blog Prompts, for directing me to her review on Amazon.UK.

Following Jeremy or picked up his book, White Lies? Can you name any ridiculous plot contrivances? (He wants to know!) Have you seen Battleship? More likely to see it now? And did you know any of the movies? There were only ten possible answers not counting the Avengers…

Diablo III, Ninja News, Guest Posts, and Movie Trivia

Diablo III

After three solid days of playing, I can now give you a review of Diablo III. If you dug Diablo II, you’ll probably dig Diablo III. If not, nothing about this game will change your mind. Picking up twenty years after Diablo’s death, the world of Sanctuary is under threat from a new hellish terror. Game play is fast and furious as usual. The one big change is you must be connected to the Internet while playing, even in single player mode. This is great, because your character goes with you everywhere. And not so great when the servers are down for maintenance (Happened twice to me already.) Doesn’t bring a lot new to the table, but if you like this style of gameplay, it doesn’t get any better than this!

Ninja News!

Purchase Jeremy Hawkins’ book, Retro-Zombie: Art & Words, (and do a review/post), and he will design an awesome banner, badge, or blog header for you. Many of you saw his awesome work during the A to Z Challenge, and above you can see the one he did for CassaFire. His work is top-notch, so visit his BLOG for details.

It’s almost time for my annual YOU ROCK! Awards. And I can tell you right now it’s going to be REALLY difficult narrowing it down to five bloggers…

This weekend – Battleship. My plan – leave brain at door and prepare for eye candy.

Guest Posts

I enjoy having guests on my blog and not just for book releases, either. My guidelines are listed HERE and I do stick close to them because I know what works on my blog. I want guests to get the full benefit just as much as I want my followers to enjoy the guest post.

And for those authors on a book tour, my personal goal is that you will get more comments here than at any other stop on your tour!

Billion Dollar Movie Quotes!

In honor of The Avengers joining the billion dollar movie club, here are quotes from movies that have also crossed over a billion dollars. Name the movie!

“The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.”

“You know, I used to think it was benign neglect, but now I see that you are intentionally screwing me.”

“C'mon. Let's go see how much we're going for on eBay.”

“Certainty of death, *small* chance of success... What are we waiting for?”

“I may have had... briefly, mind you... stirrings.”

Are you playing Diablo III yet? (Or have you lost a loved one to this addictive game?) Want an awesome banner from Jeremy? Seeing Battleship? Know the movie quotes? And what’s your goal for guest posts?