Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Plus Book to Movie Trivia 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 M. Pax, Karen Walker, and Melissa Maygrove. Please be sure to thank them for their time and effort to make all IWSG members feel welcome.

Today marks the twenty-fourth posting for the IWSG – two years of posting! (Although the official two year celebration won’t be until next month.)

When I started this group, I had no idea it would evolve into one of the largest regular writing feature online. I’m grateful for the three hundred members who post every month. I’ve gotten to know this writing family well and learned so much from you guys. The IWSG is still the greatest blessing and I’ve made some awesome friends.

I have some ideas for the group, things that will move it forward so that it continues to grow and evolve. I’ll be working on those plans over the next couple months.

Today I’ll just offer a word of encouragement for unpublished writers and authors alike: if a dude who never even planned on being an author, let alone writing a best-selling series, can do it, so can you! Don’t ever lose sight of your dream.

And if you know of a writer who needs support, encourage them to sign up. Let’s rock the two-year celebration next month with a slew of new members!

Thanks and be sure to visit other members on the list HERE.


Ninja News

Thanks to everyone who signed up to announce CassaStorm the third week in September! (Some of the questions made me laugh.) For those who missed it, you can sign up HERE. And you don’t have to leave a question – you can just sign up for the details. It won’t be the same stuff on every blog either. I’ll be sending different announcements and information and you can adjust it to fit your blog style. (Plus the questions will help shake it up a bit.) And don’t forget there are cool prizes!

Madeleine Sara at Scribble and Edit is hosting the Novel Films Blogfest II to celebrate the third anniversary of her blog. See her site for details.



And, special cover reveal...


The fate of the faerie world is in her hands...

Title: The Faerie War
Series: Creepy Hollow, Book Three
Author: Rachel Morgan
Cover Designer: Morgan Media
Publication Date: Oct 2013





Book to Movie Trivia!

Sometimes books become movies with new titles. I’ve named the movie – can you name the book?

1 – Carlito’s Way 1993

2 – Manhunter 1986

3 – Vertigo 1958

4 – Silver Bullet 1986

5 – Taps 1981

Did you sign up for the CassaStorm announcement? Participating in the Novel Films Blogfest? Think Rachel’s cover rocks? Know any of the trivia? And what is your writer security?

I will be a little scarce the next few days as we are taking off for the beach. (But I will be visiting a lot of IWSG posts today and keeping up when I can with my iPad.) This will be Mini-Alex’s first view of the ocean – wonder what he’ll think of it?

Monday, August 5, 2013

Teleportation with Tara Tyler and the Big CassaStorm Announcement! Plus The Conjuring Movie Review and Ninja News.

Please welcome the awesome Tara Tyler as she POPS in for a visit!


From Star Trek to Star Wars to CassaStar! Science Fiction has inspired some of the greatest inventions that technology gurus want to make reality (articles one & two). Teleportation is still yearned for, but not quite so far from use as you think! (Nova video)

Alex had a guest a month or two ago who talked about teleportation and cloning. Currently, most physicists believe teleportation will involve destroying particles in one location and duplicating them in another location. That is freaky!

Since I am nowhere close to being a physicist, I approached teleportation from another perspective. My theory is more like Wonka-vision. Collect all the particles and send them via a transmission to be received and put back together in another location. (In the book, I get much more technical) Sounds easy, right?

In my research, I found articles telling why teleportation is impossible, while others give it a slim chance. In science fiction, we just need that slim chance and plausibility. We don't have to prove anything, we just need to make it sound good, giving enough real information to make it believable. I have no idea how television or air travel work, they just do - doesn't science seem like magic anyway?

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. --Arthur C. Clarke (from Brainy Quotes)


So let's inspire the technology and scientific communities. They can make our dreams come true!
Cooper thought he could get through
life without having to pop...
Pop Travel - a tale of deception and teleportation

When a crazy client enters J.L. Cooper's small town detective agency, babbling about a pop travel cover up, he takes the case. Cooper never liked pop travel and blames it indirectly for his wife's death. He'd love to expose a glitch in it.

But the glitch turns out to be disintegrating travelers. And now, his client is dead, his secretary is missing, and a hitman is stalking him. Plus there's all the webcams watching his every move. So, Cooper has to find a way to expose the deadly flaw, while using pop travel to escape the maniacs covering it up, not to mention save a couple of tag-alongs he's not sure he can trust. No problem.

Pop Travel, techno-thriller

Available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Goodreads   Trailer   FB Author Page


Ninja News

Mark Means at Left and Write is this month’s Challenge participant feature! His theme was obscure comic book superheroes – check it out at the A to Z Blog.

Denise Covey has begun a new permanent monthly bloghop at Write...Edit...Publish to replace RomanticFridayWriters. Post to a monthly theme in any genre - flash fiction, poetry, non-fiction, drama, art or photography - Adult Fiction, YA or MG. Sign up is now open for August - theme - VACATION. Post on Wednesday 21 - Friday 23 August. So here for more info and to sign up.


V. Moody at Moody Writing had her very first short story published in Silverthoughs. Congratulations, Moody!

Michelle Gregory is still accepting inspirational writing quotes for her IWSG post.

My last post was accepted by the science fiction site Suvudu! They’d asked me to join the community, expressing interest in one of my posts, and now they have published three of my posts on their front page. If you’d like to pop over and ‘like’ my post, I’d be happy!

The administrators behind the Authors For Oklahoma initiative are extending the deadline to Friday, August 9th, 2013. Make a ten dollar donation to the Red Cross and you get to choose from the books being offered. Check it out.

Ella just had an article and photo published in GreenCraft magazine. Congratulations, Ella! Most creative person I know.


Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Issue 17, has just published a story by Charles Gramlich called A Whisper in Ashes. Congratulations, Charles!

The next posting for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is Wednesday! My awesome co-hosts will be M. Pax, Karen Walker, and Melissa Maygrove.



Movie Review

The Conjuring
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren investigate a terrifying presence haunting the Perron family. Based on a true story.
I normally only see movies opening weekend, but after two weeks of great reviews and word of mouth, I decided to check out this film.
It’s effectively creepy and doesn’t rely on special effects. It’s a mixture of haunting and demon possession, and neither are done over the top.
The acting is good and you can feel the fear of the family, along with the genuine concern of the Warrens.
If you enjoy a classic ‘ghost’ story full of jump moments but no gore, then this is your film. (My wife missed at least ten minutes of the movie because her eyes were closed.)
The only downside is this type of film has been done a lot.
Best part – SPOILER ALERTit has a happy ending!
I also liked the quote from Ed Warren at the end – “The devil exists. God exists. And for us, as a people, our very destiny hinges on which one we decide to follow.”
Recommended!

Special Announcement!

With the final book set to launch next month, my series needs a big sendoff! And I’m calling on my blogger friends to help me. Because really, without you guys, I wouldn’t have a third book. (I wouldn’t have had a second one, either.) Now it’s time for the storm to break…


Rather than a single day announcement with the same information, this event will be spread out over a week, involve different images and details, and each post will feature a unique interview question.

That’s right – unique! Because everyone who signs up can ask a question in the Linky List below. (Or if you’d rather not or can’t think of one right now, just put your name down.)

And of course, there is a prize! One person who posts that week will receive:
• Cassa Mouse Pad (image pictured)
• Cassa Coffee Mug
• $25 iTunes or Amazon Gift Card
• Cool Cassa Bookmarks and Postcards

To recap:
Sign up and ask your question. (Or just enter your name.)
I’ll answer the question and send you information a week prior to release.
Post about CassaStorm’s release between September 15 and 21.(On your blog, Facebook, Pinterest - whatever!)
On September 23, I announce the winner!

Sign up below!



Have you purchased Pop Travel? Did you follow Mark’s Superhero series last April? Ready to do some reading? Ready for the IWSG? Anyone else see The Conjuring? And can you help me with the release announcement for my last book…?

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

August Movie Preview! Plus Solomon Kane Review, Bambi Meets Godzilla, Ninja News, and Special Announcement

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

2 – 

Europa Report
An international crew of astronauts undertakes a privately funded mission to search for life on Jupiter's fourth largest moon.
Director: Sebastián Cordero
Stars: Christian Camargo, Embeth Davidtz, Michael Nyqvist, Sharlto Copley
Unique found footage film that’s generating some good buzz. I just might be found footage overdone though…

2 Guns
A DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer find themselves on the run after a botched attempt to infiltrate a drug cartel. While fleeing, they learn the secret of their shaky alliance: Neither knew that the other was an undercover agent.
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Stars: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, Bill Paxton
Washington and Wahlberg – could be action-packed fun.

9 –

Elysium
A factory worker takes on a mission to hijack his way onto a man-made space habitat.
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga
From the director of District 9. Not an original idea (Battle Angel Alita anyone?) but I’m hoping it’s as good as the previews.

Planes
Dusty is a cropdusting plane who dreams of competing in a famous aerial race. The problem? He is hopelessly afraid of heights. With the support of his mentor Skipper and a host of new friends, Dusty sets off to make his dreams come true.
Director: Klay Hall
Stars: Val Kilmer, Teri Hatcher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Carlos Alazraqui
From Disney not Pixar – can you say Cars with wings?

We’re the Millers
A veteran pot dealer creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the U.S. from Mexico.
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Jason Sudeikis, Ed Helms
From the creator of Dodgeball, which was actually kind of funny...

Also releasing - Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

16 –

Kick Ass 2
The costumed high-school hero Kick-Ass joins with a group of normal citizens who have been inspired to fight crime in costume. Meanwhile, the Red Mist plots an act of revenge that will affect everyone Kick-Ass knows.
Director: Jeff Wadlow
Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jim Carrey, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
I’ll admit it – guilty pleasure! And the first one really did kick ass

Also releasing – Paranoia, The Butler, and Jobs

23 –

The World’s End
Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years earlier unwittingly become humankind's only hope for survival.
Director: Edgar Wright
Stars: Rosamund Pike, Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman, Nick Frost
From the creator of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz – need I say more?


Also releasing – The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones


Ninja News

Big thanks to my friends who visited C. Lee McKenzie on Monday! Bassan was a challenging character and I hope he shines in the third book.

Need a really good laugh? What if Facebook had existed during WWII? Visit Fran at The Angry Lurker for the hilariaty!

Michael Di Gesu is now offering copyrighting and other services. Congratulations on the business venture, Michael! See his site for details.

Rachel Schieffelbein’s young adult novella, Run For the Roses, was picked up by Swoon Romance for a November release. Congratulations, Rachel!


JW Alden’s science fiction story, Battle Lines, is featured in issue 7 of Plasma Frequency Magazine. Also featured in the issue – Milo James Fowler. Congratulations, guys!

Lynn Kelley announced that on Thursday, August 1, a few of the Emblazon authors (who write for tweens) have scheduled a promo day together and priced some of their eBooks for FREE.

Misha Gericke has put up a list for insane dreamers – sign up, stating what you want to accomplish, and then post your progress the last Friday of the month. See her blog for details.

Bambi Meets Godzilla

This is for my buddy Gary at Klahanie. (Don’t forget the Anti-Blogfest Gary Fest! Short and simple – name three blogfests you’d never participate in. Sign up HERE.)

Enjoy Bambi Meets Godzilla!



Movie Review

Solomon Kane
After waiting years, I finally got to see this film!
A mercenary’s soul is bound for hell as punishment for his deeds, but he seeks redemption by helping an innocent family. Watching it gave me some serious D&D flashbacks. It has that vibe to it and the action was really good.
The acting was also good. James Purefoy was perfect as the lead. It was also nice to see Pete Postlethwaite in one of his last roles.
It’s not an epic film, but they did a lot with a very small budget.
As a Christian, I really dug the message of the film – every soul is redeemable.
Recommended – and after viewing this film, I told my wife that it was much, much better than The Wolverine!

Need a good laugh? (Did you watch Bambi Meets Godzilla?) Ready for some free books or a commitment to a goal? Anyone else see Solomon Kane? And what movies catch your eye for August?

Monday I have a special announcement regarding CassaStorm! Stay tuned…

Monday, July 29, 2013

Blogging Rules and The Wolverine Review! Plus Ninja News, New Covers, Video Game Trivia, and an Interview With Byron’s Son

Today there is a very special interview at the blog of C. Lee McKenzie. Why is it special? It’s Bassan’s first interview! Just ten years old and he’s doing his first interview. Want to know more about Byron’s son? Then visit Lee’s site!


Ninja News

Michael Di Gesu has jumped back into illustrations and he began with a book cover design for Siv Ottem. Today is the beg reveal, so visit Michael’s site this morning!!

The Tree of Life project continues at Sam’s site, with numerous entries from blogger buddies of ours. Comment on each entry to win prizes, including a signed copy of CassaStorm!

Roland Yeomans is offering some amazing prizes for reviews of his audiobooks. The prizes include Thor II cast and Johnny Depp autographs. Visit his blog for details!

Melanie Schulz has an amazing blogfest/anthology!
“I will be hosting a blogfest/contest on September 2, 2013. All the stories entered will be complied into an anthology ebook that will be available on Kindle- all proceeds to go to Operation Purple, a great organization that sends children of our military to summer camp, free of charge. One randomly chosen entry will win a $50.00 amazon gift card, as well as a signed copy of my book, The Newstead Project.”

Cate Masters’ latest, Cinderella Dreams, is now available. Congratulations, Cate!

Michelle Gregory needs your input! “For the next IWSG, I want my writing friends to share the most encouraging thing they've learned about writing. It could also be a favorite writing quote, even if the quote comes from you.” Leave a comment or send her an email by this Wednesday, July 31.

Sarah Allen’s short story collection, Cross-Eyed, is now available – and it’s free! Congratulations, Sarah.


Melanie Schulz also posted one of the nicest reviews of CassaFire last Friday!



Cover Reveals!

Félicité Found by Julia King

Spiders by Doralynn Kennedy

The Wilder Mage by Huntress, aka CD Coffelt And you can also check out the cool book trailer!






How Do You Follow Blogs

Thanks to everyone who voiced their opinion last Wednesday. It seems less people are using GFC to follow now.

However, as I am SO damn close to 1900 GFC followers, it would still be really awesome to hit it!!

As Brandon and Bryan from A Beer For The Shower stated:

“It seems people are following in other ways. But, but... how can I justify my blogger existence if people can't see just how many friends I have???”


Video Game Trivia Answers

1 - What is the best-selling iPhone game? Angry Birds
2 - How many Pokemon films have been made? Sixteen
3 - What’s the highest grossing movie based on a video game? Prince of Persia @ $335 million
4 - What is the longest running video game franchise still being made? Mario, which has spawned over 200 games since 1981


Blogging Rules

There aren’t really any rules, but most of us operate under implied guidelines. When we first start out, most of us don’t have a clue when it comes to blogging etiquette

What I’ve listed are my blog rules – feel free to share yours.

Follow me and I’ll follow you. There are exceptions, but I’ll follow someone who follows me if I can find a link to his blog.

Comment here and I’ll return the comment. Same as above applies. (And I do miss people now and then - sorry!)

I won’t post on days I can’t visit and comment back. I know everyone has their opinion about this one, but if I’m gone for the day or won’t have access to my computer, I don’t post. I won’t ask you to visit me when I can’t visit you. That just feels rude.

If I can’t think of anything worthwhile, I won’t post anything. Doesn’t happen often, but I have skipped posting for that very reason.

I’ll ease back when writing, but I don’t stop posting and visiting. Again, it would just feel wrong.

When I follow a new blog, I give the person two weeks to return the follow and/or comments. If not, then I un-follow. I have too many devoted friends to spend time on someone who doesn’t want to be friends.

If I comment, I’ve read the post. I won’t comment just to say I was here or I was first or anything.

I won’t post just to self-promote. Even September 17 won’t be all about me.

I don’t worry about hits or blog visits. (Everything I’ve read says they are very inaccurate anyway.) I won’t post something just to get hits.

As they say, don’t blog angry. (Or is that don't drive angry?)


And finally, I’ll never forget my beginnings – an unknown blogger and author with no followers.

What are some of your rules?

Movie Review

The Wolverine
This film picks up not long after after X-Men III ends.
Similar to Iron Man III (he’s in the suit, he’s out of the suit) I was frustrated with the ‘he has his powers, he doesn’t have his powers’ aspect. Only this one didn’t get any better.
The storyline just doesn’t hold up, especially by the end. It’s a convoluted mess. There were so many opportunities for Wolverine to kick ass – and they didn’t materialize. I see a movie with Wolverine, I expect him to kick ass as some point.
There was also a relationship with a girl less than half his age that felt creepy. And we’re talking Jackman’s age, not Wolverine’s.
The overall tone was just too dark. It wasn’t really enjoyable. I’ve never read the comics, but I bet Wolverine has a nemesis that would’ve been more interesting.
On the plus side, the Japan setting is cool and the character of Yukio kicks butt.
I walked out of the theater thinking it was at least decent, but the more I thought about it, the less I liked this film.
Not recommended.

Excited about the contests and cool covers? Get any of the trivia right? Anyone else see The Wolverine? And what are some of your blogging rules?

Don’t forget to visit C. Lee McKenzie and Bassan!