Insecure Writer’s Support Group and January Movie Preview

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.

The awesome co-hosts for the December 4 posting of the IWSG are Ronel, Deniz, Pat Garcia, Olga Godim, and Cathrina Constantine!

December 4 question - Do you write cliffhangers at the end of your stories? Are they a turn-off to you as a writer and/or a reader?

I do not write cliffhangers. All of my books are one complete story line and arc. As a reader, cliffhangers are annoying. Enough so that I just might not pick up the next book to find the answers. I also like my movies to end without cliffhangers. (Although it’s okay if there is a part two to the film, just not more than one year away. I’m talking to you, Dune and Fast and Furious!)

Television series are different. I can handle a cliffhanger from one season to the next. Just be sure there is a next season! (Curses to those who cancelled Outer Range on a cliffhanger.)


I want to mention special prayers for IWSG admin Juneta Key. She's been going through a terrible ordeal and is right now in a terrifying place. If you know her, please contact her and give her some encouragement. She needs a miracle in her life.

We need co-hosts for January, February, and March! Leave a comment or send me an email.

And note that the next IWSG post date is January 8!!! We are not posting on January 1, New Year’s Day.

December Movie Preview

Here are the theatrical releases for December. Descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

6 –

Werewolves
Director: Steven C. Miller
Stars: Frank Grillo, Lou Diamond Phillips, Katrina Law
Two scientists try to stop a mutation that turns people into werewolves after being touched by a super-moon the year before.
Like the movie poster says, illegal to turn – meaning impossible to turn this into something good.

12 –

Kraven the Hunter
Director: JC Chandor
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Christoper Abbott
Kraven 's complex relationship with his ruthless father, Nikolai Kravinoff, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.
I think they are releasing this close to the end of the year because it’s an Oscar contender…?

13 –

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Stars: Brian Cox, Miranda Otto, Lorraine Ashbourne
A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg.
Somehow they took Middle Earth and moved it to Tokyo…

20 –

Mufasa: The Lion King
Director: Barry Jenkins
Stars: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner
Simba, having become king of the Pride Lands, is determined for his cub to follow in his paw prints while the origins of his late father Mufasa are explored.
It’s no longer the circle of life but the circle of cash.

25 –

Nosferatu
Director: Robert Eggers
Stars: Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin
A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman, and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her causing untold horror in its wake.
Kraven the Hunter versus Pennywise!

29 –

Alien Wars: Judgement Day
Director: Jeffery Schneider
Stars: Donna Hamblin, Nick Dent, Luc Bernier
After an alien catastrophe, a few remaining human souls try to hold on to their sanity and their reality as humanity slowly slips into darkness.
There’s only in theaters, only on NetFilx, and only with RiffTrax. Guess which one this is?

How do you feel about cliffhangers? Can you co-host next year? Any of those movies look interesting?
Remember, the next IWSG day is January 8!!!

I will be offline for most of the second half of December. Everyone have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group and November Movie Previews

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.

The awesome co-hosts for the November 6 posting of the IWSG are Diedre Knight, Lisa Buie Collard , Kim Lajevardi, and JQ Rose!

First, IWSG Admin Michelle is building an independent online teaching business and will be integrating aspects of creative writing into the business. You can learn more about it on her FaceBook page.

November 6 question - What creative activity do you engage in when you're not writing?

Guitar! I play in a Christian band, so I love the ability to rock out for God. I’ve played multiple instruments over the years, but guitar is my favorite. I’m lead, but I sometimes let our rhythm guitarist play the lead. It’s not about me, it’s about honoring and worshipping God. And while I’ve enjoyed writing and the five published books, music is still my first passion.

And it’s been so long that I should probably note my published works for those who are new to my site:
CassaDawn - free prequel short story
CassaStar - first in the series and my first published book
CassaFire - second in the series
CassaStorm - third in series and possibly the best story I’ve ever written
CassDark - fourth in the series
Dragon of the Stars - an independent, stand-alone story and also one I am very proud of

November Movie Preview

Here are the theatrical releases for November. Descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

8 –

Conclave
Director: Edward Berger
Stars: Ralph Fiennes. Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow
Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, where he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of The Church.
You haven’t seen balls-to-wall action until you’ve seen a bunch of Cardinals meet to elect a new Pope!

15 –

Red One
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu
After Santa Claus (code name: Red One) is kidnapped, the North Pole's Head of Security (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world's most infamous bounty hunter (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.
This was written by AI. Or someone threw Scrabble tiles on the floor and this is the result.

22 –

Gladiator II
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Joseph Quinn, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington
After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Gladiator II: Electric Boogaloo!

27 –

Moana 2
Directors: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk, Auli’I Cravalhov After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana journeys to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she has ever faced.
Moana 2: Electric Boolagoo! (They are making these too easy.)

What creative outlet do you have outside of writing? Did you know about my published work? And what movies catch your attention this month?

Pioneer Movies with Melissa Maygrove and Movie Reviews

Pioneer Movies

Thanks for hosting me today!

Alex asked me to list some movies that have a similar feel to my book—movies set in the same era with Native American characters, etc. I’m more of a reader than a movie buff, so it wasn’t an easy task. And I’m going to show my age before it’s over. You might not have been born when some of these were released.

The first movie that came to mind was the obvious Dances With Wolves (1990).

A Civil War soldier develops a relationship with a band of Lakota Indians. Attracted by the simplicity of their lifestyle, he chooses to leave his former life behind to be with them. Tragedy results when Union soldiers arrive with designs on the land.

Second is a movie that will always stand out in my memory, Against a Crooked Sky (1975). I watched it when I was a kid, around the same time that Where the Red Fern Grows was popular.

The daughter of a pioneer family is kidnapped by a mysterious Indian tribe, and their eldest son risks his life to track down and rescue his sister.

Last, I came across a TV movie from 1997, titled Stolen Women, Captured Hearts.

In 1868 Kansas, a Lakota Sioux warrior stubbornly refuses to free the two white women he kidnapped, triggering a war between his tribe and General Custer's rescuing troops. One of the women falls in love with him. Now she must choose between the world she lost and the love she found.

I haven’t watched it, but it looks interesting—and romantically intense. I envision the MCs in Battered Pride looking at each other the same way as the actors in the trailer. LOL

My novel Battered Pride pits a half-Mojave hero against a white heroine whose late husband was found scalped and murdered in his field. Conflict and (in the beginning, at least) outright hatred abound. It is most definitely an enemies-to-lovers story.

It was fun to write, but a lot of research went into this one. Not only am I picky about getting details right in my historicals, I wanted to be able to write authentically from the POV of a hero who was half Native American, without perpetuating stereotypes. As I say in the ‘Notes from the author’ section of the book, I hope I succeeded.

Battered Pride (Forging America Book 4) by Melissa Maygrove
When a Mojave clansman insists on helping a struggling widow whose husband was scalped and murdered, survival isn’t the only battle on the frontier.
Amazon - book series page on Amazon

Show and Movie Reviews

Rings of Power season two

I enjoyed it more than season one. It moved at a much faster pace.
I will say it does seem to follow too many characters and plot threads though. We’d go several episodes without seeing some characters at all. But it’s still a great ride and beautiful to look at.
Prequels are odd sometimes because we know how it ends…

Night Shift

A horror film set at a run-down motel with just a handful of actors.
Draw your own conclusions regarding the gaping plot holes at the beginning and end.
There were some decent spooky moments though. Setting was great – a motel in the middle of nowhere. But again, some pesky plot holes.

The Watchers

Horror film starring Dakota Fanning and directed by Ishana Shyamalan. (Yes, M. Night’s daughter.)
It was an interesting idea, trapped in a building in the forest with creatures that stalk them at night. But it was poorly executed. Gaping plot holes. (Like how the building was constructed when the creatures killed all the workers every night?)
The acting was good, and the idea was novel and interesting. Just…huge, huge plot holes.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Henry Cavill, this follows a British strike force going behind enemy lines during World War II.
If you are a big history fact, it’s probably not accurate, just loosely based on something that might’ve happened.
However, it’s a great deal of fun! Ritchie does a good job unspooling the story. The good guys are witty and droll, the Nazis cruel and evil. Felt like a throwback to movies like Wild Geese and Shout at the Devil.
Great World War II action-adventure film.

Have you seen any of the movies Melissa mentioned? Picking up her new book? Seen any of those movies or shows? Any you can recommend?

I'll be back November 6 for IWSG day.
And quick note – the first IWSG post day of 2025 will be January 8. (Since first Wednesday falls on New Year’s Day. I don’t know about you, but I’m not even going to turn on my computer that day!)

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, Ghost Stories, and October Movie Preview

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.

The awesome co-hosts for the October 2 posting of the IWSG are Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jacqui Murray, and Natalie Aguirre!

October 2 question - Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What's your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.

I’m old, so even though it’s not a ghost story, it’s The Exorcist for me. I found it incredibly disturbing. It was the first film to deal with demonic possession and in such a horrible way, taking over a young girl. It’s been duplicated and watered down over the years, but at the time, the original was terrifying.
And on most horror movie lists, it’s number one.

Another top pick is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, both the book and the movie. Read the book as a kid and was fascinated by an apparition that terrorizes a town, and it’s the basis of a lot of urban legends you hear about today.

We need one more co-host for December! If you can help out, please leave a comment or send me an email.

New Releases!

Top Five Movies Set in Japan
By Sherry Ellis

Bubba and Squirt’s final adventure, The Legend of the Lost Pearls is set in Japan. In honor of its release, I’ve come up with my top 5 picks of movies about or set in Japan. Here they are:
1. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), starring Ziyi Zhang, is the story of Nitta Sayuri, a young Japanese woman who as a child was taken from a fishing village and later became one of Japan’s most famous geishas.
2. The Last Samurai (2003), starring Tom Cruise, is set in 19 th century Japan. Nathan Algren, a US army captain is hired by the Emperor of Japan to train his army in modern warfare techniques. It becomes a struggle between two eras.
3. Tokyo Pop (1988), stars Carrie Hamilton who plays Wendy, an aspiring singer who travels to Tokyo with dreams of making it big in the music business. There she meets Hiro, a rock and roll musician who makes her the lead singer in his band.
4. The Karate Kid Part II (1986), stars Pat Morita. Daniel accompanies his mentor, Mr. Miyagi to Okinawa. Miyagi visits his dying father and faces an old rival. Daniel falls in love and ends up with a rival of his own.
5. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), stars Mike Myers. After discovering his father has been kidnapped, Austin Powers travels to 1975 to defeat the villain, Goldmember who is working with Dr. Evil.
Are you familiar with these movies? Do you have a favorite? Any not on the list that you like?

A big thanks to Alex for having me as a guest and getting the word out about Bubba and Squirt’s The Legend of the Lost Pearls!

Bubba and Squirt’s Legend of the Lost Pearls by Sherry Ellis

Journey to the past!
Bubba and Squirt embark on their most dangerous quest yet. Whisked away through the vortex to Japan, they must find two fabled pearls that hold the key to saving their father.
To top it off, they must go back and change the events of the past. As they race against time, the fate of their father, and their own lives, hang in the balance.
Will they outwit the cunning creatures that stand in their way or face their own demise trying to save their father?

Print ISBN 9798988625124 $8.95/ eBook ISBN 9798988625131 $3.99
Juvenile Fiction - Action Adventure / Fantasy & Magic / Legends, Myths, Fables – Asian

Find the book on Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Goodreads

Mystery Loves Company by Elizabeth Spann Craig

Myrtle Clover Cozy Mysteries | Book 25

Truth blooms in unexpected corners.

Purchase options here

October Movie Preview

Here are the theatrical releases for October. Descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

4 –

Joker: Folie à Deux
Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Joaquin Pheonix, Lady Gaga, Zazie Beetz, Ken Leung
Failed comedian Arthur Fleck meets the love of his life, Harley Quinn, while in Arkham State Hospital. Upon release, the pair embark on a doomed romantic misadventure.
I guess it’s a better name than Joker: The Musical.

Monster Summer
Director: David Henrie
Stars: Mason Thames, Lorraine Bracco, Mel Gibson
When a mysterious force begins to disrupt their big summer fun, Noah and his friends team up with a retired police detective to embark on a monstrous adventure to save their island.
I’ve always wanted a mash-up of The Goonies and Lethal Weapon.

25 –

Venom: The Last Dance
Director: Kelly Marcel
Stars: Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans
Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.
I just can’t believe we live in a world that has three Venom movies…

What’s your favorite ghostly tale? Picking up either book? Any movie catch your interest this month? Seems to be slim pickens the next few months! And can you help co-host in December?