Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Ninja News, Wednesday Movie Quote, and the Super Bowl

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 two awesome co-hosts this month are Stephen Tremp and Julie Flanders! Please be sure to thank them for their time and effort to make all IWSG members feel welcome.

This week finds me doing final revisions on CassaStorm for my publisher. I think I finally nailed the back cover synopsis as well. And hopefully I’ll get to see the cover by the end of next week! (Guess I need to plan a cover reveal date, don’t I?)

Otherwise, I have made a decision regarding writing. With so much happening in the blogging world, including the A to Z Challenge in two months, and the amount of time I am putting in playing my guitar, I am putting writing on hold until May. Too much pressure otherwise. I do have an idea for another book, but it’s a vague idea at the moment. So I’ll just let it brew for a while (coffee, Rusty?) and focus on other areas of my life. In three months, I’ll reassess.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll write a song for you guys instead!

Be sure to visit other members of the IWSG – the list is on a tabbed page above – and show your support!

Ninja News

Teresa at Journaling Woman has a short piece in the March/April issue of Writer’s Digest! She said: “The challenge was 'In 25 words or fewer, write the opening sentence to a story based on the photo prompt below.' Under the photo are these words, ‘Out of more than 1,300 entries, Writer’s Digest editors and forum members selected the following story openers.’”
Congratulations, Teresa!

Juliana Haygert revealed the cover art for her upcoming book, Destiny Gift. Awesome cover, Juliana!

Mark Koopmans is putting together a retreat in Hawaii! The Writers’ Weekend will be from Friday, Dec. 6 to Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, which coincides with the 41st Honolulu Marathon. You can also visit the USS Arizona on December 7, the “date which shall live in infamy.” See his site for details – the man needs help!

Thanks to everyone who signed up for the Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest, set for March 18, 2013.
Your ten favorite movies – simple and easy!

Wednesday Movie Quote

Today’s favorite movie quote theme is “Crime Thriller.”


My favorite comes from The Usual Suspects:

“The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”

Truer words have never been spoken…

Feel free to post your favorite crime thriller quote here or play along with Wednesday Movie Quotes on your own blog!

Next week’s theme – “Romantic Comedy.”

The Super Bowl

Won’t go into the game except to show you that Mini-Alex was at the party and tried to get in on the action. (Proof that he wasn’t the one who cut the power after halftime!)

And as far as commercials, this year was really lame. Outside of the cool movie trailers (Fast and Furious VI, Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Iron Man III) the best ones were Best Buy with Amy Poehler, Deion Sanders/Leon Sandcastle, and “God made a farmer.” (And yes, the Budweiser Clydesdale was cute.)

What’s your writer insecurity today? Ready for a retreat in Hawaii? Signed up for the Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest? What’s your favorite crime thriller movie quote? And do you think Mini-Alex could’ve scored some points?

Overcoming Adversity Blogfest, Ninja News, and My Next Blogfest!

Overcoming Adversity Blogfest

Nick at Scattergun Scribblings is hosting the Overcoming Adversity Blogfest. Entries will be compiled into a book and the proceeds will go to funding college for his son, Andrew, who has cerebral palsy.

This is my entry.

My Friends, My Heroes

The human spirit it an amazing thing. It can overcome any adversity. Those who succeed despite their situation motivate and assure us that we can triumph as well. And I don’t have to look any farther for inspiration than my blogger buddies.

Roland Yeomans almost lost everything during Rita. He’d already lost two beloved pets and everything he owned due to a fire several years before that. When Katrina hit, he took his laptop, clothes, and cat Gypsy and fled town, returning several months later to a water-damaged apartment. Once again, he had to start over. But Roland has not let that dampen his dream. He now has over twenty books to his name, and he continues to post advice on his blog to help other writers. Roland has not lost faith.

Hart Johnson experienced a really bad 2012 with many setbacks including her husband’s hospitalization. Despite the struggles, she has forged on. Her first book was released last June and this year her second book, The Begonia Bribe, will be released. But that’s not all! Hart entered the ABNA this year, plans to polish several more novels, and will participate in both BuNo and NaNo. Hart is all or nothing.

Jeremy Hawkins was in a terrible car accident several years ago. It permanently misaligned four of his neck bones and he went through months of physical therapy. Even now, cold weather and other factors will dislodge his neck bones, and he is restricted in what he can do. Despite all of that, Jeremy continues to post for Howlin’ Wolf Records and does freelance artwork for clients. He’s published two books and contributes every day to the A to Z Team. And he never complains. Jeremy takes away all excuses.

Karen Walker underwent emotional and sexual abuse as a child. Her self-image took quite a hit and she made some poor life choices as a result. Living with those choices, one of which involved estrangement from her only son for many years, was devastating. But Karen didn’t give up. She began working on her memoir, Following the Whispers, and found her peace. Today she dances, sings, and travels with her wonderful husband. She still struggles, but she fights back.

Charles Gramlich’s’ wife Lana was diagnosed with cancer last year and underwent extensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments. At one point, she was so miserable it was as if they both just wanted to die. They persevered though, and eventually Lana recovered her strength. In November, they received the word that Lana was cancer-free. Through all of this, Charles has continued to work and write. And he is blessed that his wife is there to watch him do it. They are both incredibly tough.

My own struggles seem so small in comparison. But no matter what the challenge, I know I can overcome because they overcame. Thank you for not giving up, my friends. You are my heroes.

(And there were so many more I could’ve mentioned, but I ran out of room!)

Ninja News

The Indelibles are hosting the INDIE-Kissing Blogfest on February 14. See their site for details.

EJ Wesley’s blog tour begins today!
There will be giveaways and free books, so check it out.
Have a great tour, EJ!

My Next Blogfest!

The first blogfest I ever hosted was The Movie Dirty Dozen on June 21, 2010, and fifty-eight people participated. I had less than two hundred followers at the time, so most of you missed it. Which is why I’ve decided to revisit it with:

Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest

March 18, 2013

List your top ten favorite movies!

Told you this one would be fun and easy! Now, who’s with me? Grab the badge and sign up below.



Who’s overcome adversity in your world? Give that person a shout-out here! Joining the Indelibles’ blogfest? Ready to list your favorite movies? Don't forget the IWSG on Wednesday. And did you watch the Super Bowl? Best commercial was…? (Outside of movie previews, I only counted three good ones.)

Ninja News, Celebrating Small Things, and the February Movie Preview

Ninja News

Brinda Berry created a trailer for Isis Rushdan’s’ book, Kindred of the Fallen. Brinda does an awesome job with trailers, and they are debuting it on both sites today, so check it out!

The sign up list for the A to Z Challenge opened on Wednesday, and we are on our way to five hundred already. If you haven’t signed up yet, go HERE. And for those of you wondering how to plan for the Challenge, Clare Dugmore posted her topics for both of here blogs HERE and HERE. Now that is organized and prepared!!

In the excitement of the Challenge list opening, I forgot to mention next week’s Wednesday Movie Quote genre – crime thriller.
Thanks to those of you who are playing along!

Next Wednesday is also the next posting for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, and my co-hosts are Stephen Tremp and Julie Flanders.

Celebrate the Small Things

“Celebrate the Small Things” is hosted every Friday by VikLit.

This week I celebrate a breakthrough on my third book’s back cover synopsis, thanks to Rusty Webb. I still haven’t been able to make the appropriate changes because my publisher returned my manuscript this week and I’ve been working on the revisions. But that’s cool – CassaStorm is one step closer to reality!

February Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming movies for February! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

1 -

Warm Bodies
After R (a highly unusual zombie) saves Julie from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion a sequence of events that might transform the entire lifeless world.
Director: Jonathan Levine
Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Analeigh Tipton
Zombie love sounds icky – things could fall off.
Yeah, I’ll admit I’m curious about this movie.

Bullet to the Head
After watching their respective partners die, a New Orleans hitman and a Washington D.C. detective form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy.
Director: Walter Hill
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Momoa, Christian Slater, Sung Kang
Watching a sixty-six year old man kick ass teeters between impressive and sad.

Stand Up Guys
A pair of aging con men try to get the old gang back together for one last hurrah before one of the guys takes his last assignment -- to kill his comrade.
Director: Fisher Stevens
Stars: Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Christopher Walken, Julianna Margulies
Dig that Alan Arkin – the guy is hilarious.



8 -

Side Effects
A woman turns to prescription medication as a way of handling her anxiety concerning her husband's upcoming release from prison.
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Guessing this isn’t the feel good movie of the year.



15 -

A Good Day to Die Hard
John McClane travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack, only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist, causing the father and son to team up against underworld forces.
Director: John Moore
Stars: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Patrick Stewart
Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Russia! That’s right – that never grows old.

22 -

Dark Skies
As the Barret family's peaceful suburban life is rocked by an escalating series of disturbing events, they come to learn that a terrifying and deadly force is after them.
Director: Scott Charles Stewart
Stars: Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo, J.K. Simmons
Please tell me this will rise above every genre cliché known to man…
However the preview says – not so much.

Snitch
A father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in drug deal.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal, Rafi Gavron
The Rock doesn’t have the best track record with movies. This film probably won’t change that.


Have you signed up for the Challenge yet? (And do you have a theme?) Ready for the IWSG? What are you celebrating this week? Any of those movies interest you? And who do you think will win the Super Bowl on Sunday? (Even Mini-Alex will be watching…)

And Monday I will finally reveal my next blogfest on March 18!!

Ninja News, Wednesday Movie Quote, and the A to Z Sign-up List is OPEN!!!

I discussed nosh with two hungry pups at The Life of a Novice Writer yesterday. If you missed it, check it out. Those pups like to talk to any author with nosh!

Ninja News!

Thanks to Stephen, Mark, Elise, and CM for hosting the Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest on Monday. So sorry, I still wasn’t able to get around to all of the participants AND all of my blogger buddies the past two days. Epic Ninja fail…

Jamie at Mithril Wisdom and Allison at Geek Banter are hosting the Level Up! Blogfest. “On February 20th, talk about a game you play or used to play; tell us how it works and share your love of the game with the rest of us. It can be any kind of game you like, from World of Warcraft to Hopscotch, from Monopoly to Blackjack and everything else in between. Tell us what you love about that game.”

Kimberly at Art of Infiltration shared twenty-two books she enjoyed reading last year (or wanted to read this year) with her seventh grade class. She said the kids were excited about three books – Possession by Elana Johnson, 18 Things by Jamie Ayers, and CassaStar. Whoa!!! Kimberly, that made my week.

With all of the books being published, I wanted to highlight another published artist. Ella at Ella’s Edge is a poet, photographer, and master craftswoman. If she can envision it, she can make it. Ella has had many of her beautiful pieces featured in magazines, and this past December she had several in Somerset Studio Gallery and Somerset Life. Ella, you are talented beyond words!

Liz Fichera’s latest book, Hooked, is available today. Congratulations, Liz!

Wednesday Movie Quote

Today’s favorite movie quote theme is “Light Fantasy.”

My favorite: (Double today!)

“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya, You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

“Have fun storming the castle!”

Both from The Princess Bride.

What is yours?

A to Z Challenge Sign-ups Open!!

Sign-ups open today – but read first before entering your name!!

The A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behavior.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on. You can use a theme for the month or go random – just as long as it matches the letter of the alphabet for the day. We recommend short posts, turn off Word Verification, and visit five blogs (or more) a day beginning with the one after yours on the list.

This year there are categories for those looking for like-minded blogs. Select ONE category code and enter it after your blog’s title/name. The code applies to your blog, not your theme for the Challenge and is purely optional. However, if your blog has adult content, you MUST mark it (AC) or it will be removed from the list. Codes are as follows:

1. WRITING : (WR)
2. BOOKS: (BO)
3. FILM : (FM)
4. PHOTOGRAPHY: (PH)
5. GARDENING: (GR)
6. CRAFT: (CR)
7. ART: (AR)
8. MUSIC: (MU)
9. CULINARY: (CU)
10. LIFESTYLE: (LI )
11. FASHION: (FA)
12. PERSONAL: (PR)
13. SOCIAL MEDIA: (SO)
14. GAMING: (GA)
15. EDUCATION : (ED)
16. POLITICS: (PO)
17. HISTORY: (HI)
18. SCIENCE: (SC)
19. HUMOR: (HU)
20. TRAVEL: (TR)
21. MISCELLANEOUS: (MI)
22. ADULT CONTENT: (AC)

Be sure to grab the badge and display it in your sidebar so we know you are participating and link to the A to Z Blog.

You’re A to Z Hosts are founder Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out, Damyanti Biswas at Amlokiblogs, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Tina Downey at Life is Good, DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude 2.0, Jeremy Hawkins at Retro-Zombie, Shannon Lawrence at The Warrior Muse, Matthew MacNish at The QQQE, Konstanz Silverbow at No Thought 2 Small, Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs, Livia Peterson at Leave it to Livia, L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick, and Nicole at The Madlab Post.

This is the fourth Challenge. The very first one changed my blog forever! Are you ready to join us in the greatest blogging event ever?


Enjoy Monday’s blogfest? Joining the game blogfest? Follow the talented Ella? What is your favorite light fantasy movie quote? Joining us this April for the A to Z Challenge? If you have ANY question, please ask. I am a co-host and here to help. And do you have a theme…?

Don’t forget to visit The Life of a Novice Writer!