Golden Schmoes Winners, March Movie Preview, Don’t You Hate Book Tours, New Releases, and Monday Music Moves Me

Movie News

The Golden Schmoes Award winners were announced!

Mad Max: Fury Road got the most wins with seven. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was second with six. Fury Road took home Favorite Movie and Best Director. Most Overrated Movie of the Year goes to Jurassic World. (Good!)

For a full list of winners, visit JoBlo.

And I’m sure none of that was reflected in Sunday’s Oscars… (Although it was close - Fury Road did win six.)


Nicholas Meyer, who directed Star Trek II and IV and did the screenplays for several others, is back on board. According to JoBlo’s site:
Meyer has signed on as a consulting producer and writer for Bryan Fuller's show, which will be airing on CBS All Access sometime in 2017.
He’s working on the next Star Trek series. Awesome!
Read the full article at JoBlo.

ANNOUNCING THE “DON’T YOU HATE BOOK TOURS?” Book Tour!

Shhhh! While the ghost of Mark Twain is distracting Alex by introducing him to the Borg Queen again, I sneaked into his blog.
If you hear the sounds of drills and screams, don’t worry. Alex will play the guitar much better with steel fingers.
Yes, I am on a book blog tour. Wow. That’s a lot of groans out there.
Yeah, book tours are like speeches by presidential candidates: same old words over and over, too long, boring, and worse … NO SEX!
Well, my “DON’T YOU HATE BOOK TOURS” Book Tour takes care of all that.
Each post on a tour should be different from the last. Haven’t you visited a favorite blog only to groan when you see it has the same hype from the latest book you saw in the last 4 blogs?
A tour post should be like a good movie trailer: chaotic with new images of the story that teases without giving away the plot … and HAS SEX IN IT!
Oh, the SEX in this post? Hey, I’m hawking a prose book here not PLAYBOY. Aw, man, even PLAYBOY doesn’t have nudity anymore.
Is nothing sacred?
Here is a trailer flash mental image for you just like in a salacious, ah, great movie trailer – and all from one line of dialogue!
“Clemens, before I eviscerate you, explain why your hand is on the inside of my naked thigh!”
Yep, that line and scene is in my book.
What book? Hey, remember when I talked about teasing?

This book about to come out in paperback:

Abraham Lincoln and a vampiric Benjamin Franklin, among others, out to kill a good man on his honeymoon with the most evil female on this planet in 1867.
Board the first air/steamship, XANADU, as it sails the world’s skies over more troubled water than even Simon & Garfunkle could handle. 

Did I mention there was SEX in it? Hey, it’s a honeymoon.

Here’s a bit of the soundtrack:
Two Steps From Hell - Big Sky


THE NOT-SO-INNOCENTS ABROAD available soon!
Find Roland Yeomans at his Blog and on Amazon

New Releases:

Fight the Reality Flight by Pat Hatt
Find it on Amazon

JOLISSA - An Anti-Princess Story by Tara Tyler
This novella that goes with her video storybook.
Find it on Amazon

Fable Ranger: Summons by A.L. Brown
A middle grade fairy tale mash up!
Find it on Amazon

Champion's Destiny by Tyrean Martinson
The final book in The Champion Trilogy - The Battle May be Lost Because of Family Secrets
Find it on Amazon

Monday Music Moves Me

Hosted by Xmas Dolly.

I’m still hooked on Dream Theater’s latest, The Astonishing. So here is one of the songs that moves me, The Gift of Music.

March Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for March! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

4 -

Zootopia
In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a fugitive con artist fox and a rookie bunny cop must work together to uncover a conspiracy.
Directors: Byron Howard | Rich Moore | Jared Bush
Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate
A fugitive fox and rookie bunny cop are also the new characters on the next CSI spinoff.





11 –

10 Cloverfield Lane
Waking up from a car accident, a young woman finds herself in the basement of a man who says he's saved her life from a chemical attack that has left the outside uninhabitable.
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr., Mat Vairo
It’s a monster movie! It’s an abduction movie! It’s two great films in one. (Actually, I am excited to see this one.)




18 –

Miracles From Heaven
A young girl suffering from a rare digestive disorder finds herself miraculously cured after surviving a terrible accident. Based on the book 'Miracles From Heaven' by Christy Beam.
Director: Patricia Riggen
Stars: Jennifer Garner, Brighton Sharbino, Martin Henderson, John Carroll Lynch
Basically, a movie made for Christians that unfortunately every critic will hate.





25 –

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on Superman, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It's up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
No snark, just lots and lots of excitement! LOTS of excitement and anticipation.

Think the Golden Schmoes (movie goers) got it right? Excited about a new Star Trek series? Think a good book tour should have sex in it? Picking up some new books? What movies do you want to see in March? And what did you think of the Oscars last night? (I didn’t make it to the end but I did see Fury Road clean up with six Oscars.)

See you Wednesday for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group!

Deadpool Review, Geekdom House, Six Strings, Ninja News, and the Great A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal!

I am visiting Christine Rains today and discussing newsletters.
Don’t forget the first issue of the Insecure Writer's Support Group Newsletter goes out on February 24! Sign up HERE.

Movie Review

Deadpool
I can understand why some might not like this movie.
It’s irreverent. It gleefully crosses the boundary of good taste, much like the show Family Guy does. It’s gory and quite dirty at times.
Having said all that, I thought it was a hoot!
The story itself is a fairly pedestrian origins story but told in a way you’ve never seen before. The film is self-aware that it’s just a movie, even to the point that Deadpool makes snarky comments about actor Ryan Reynolds and the other X-Men films. It completely breaks the fourth wall, resulting in some of the funniest lines. (Example – Deadpool tells two X-Men ‘This giant house and there’s only two of you? It’s like the studio couldn’t afford any more X-Men.’)
Bottom line, if you found something appealing in the trailer, you’ll dig this film.
Rated R for a reason, this movie is for the grown up twelve-year-old in all of us.
Highly recommended!

While I Was Away…

Yes, my wife and I had a great time! Everyone should take a first class vacation at least once a year. Maybe more.

And of course, at my wife’s insistence, Mini-Alex tagged along.

I submitted an article to Geekdom House and it appeared on their site last Monday. Read Finding Child-Like Wonder and why Star Wars: The Force Awakens had it and Jurassic World didn’t.

The latest Six Strings magazine is out and it features an interview with yours truly. You can download it for free on the site or at Amazon.

Ninja News

The authors in the IWSG anthology, Parallels: Felix Was Here, have set up a website - Parallels Anthology. Articles, news, and meet the authors.

Plus, you can pre-order the eBook of Parallels: Felix Was Here at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes

Many of you know that Sia McKye is undergoing treatment for cancer. A lot of that is coming out of her pocket, so a good friend of her set up a Go Fund Me account for her to help offset the cost. Any amount will help!

Loni Townsend discovered a cool site - Inkarnate. You can make your own maps!

New Release:
To Get A Guy To Kiss You! by Jessica McKendry
Find it on Amazon

The Great A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal!

Sign-ups for the 2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge are already under way. If you have done it before, you know how much fun it is (good for you!) and if you have not, this is your chance to give it a try. You can sign up to participate HERE.

One of the most burning questions participants ask themselves every year is: "Should I have a theme?" Themes are not mandatory, but definitely fun. They let your visitors know what to expect, and help you create posts that line neatly up from A to Z. They also have an added bonus – they let you participate in a whole separate blogfest!

Three years ago, A to Z participant Mina Lobo started the Theme Reveal, and we thought it was such a great idea that we made it tradition.

Here is how the Theme Reveal Blogfest works:

Sign up on the Linky List below. On Monday, March 21, reveal your theme on your blog and give us a hint of what to expect from it. Then, once your post is up, use the Linky List to visit all the other blogs announcing their themes.

This is a great opportunity for all of you to get a jump start on your A to Z experience. You can link up with fellow bloggers, scout out and bookmark themes that you look forward to, and lure in wandering participants with your awesome theme. This way, by the time the frenzied posting begins on April 1, you will already have an audience eagerly awaiting your posts.

Sign up below, ready your theme, and put March 21 on your calendar!

Miss me? Anyone else see Deadpool? Excited about the IWSG anthology? Can you help Sia? Ready to make a map? And are you signing up for the Great A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal?

Don’t forget to visit Christine Rains.

And if you have time, read my article at Geekdom House and my interview in Six Strings!

The Astonishing by Dream Theater, Legends of Tomorrow Review, The Golden Schmoes Awards, Transylvania Writing Workshop, and the Ninja News!

Dream Theater – The Astonishing Review

There are bands that make music and there are bands that create art. Now, we all know that art is subjective and one man’s treasure is another’s trash. For me, The Astonishing lives up to its lofty title.

This is a two-disc, 2 1/2 hour concept album; a rock opera about a dystopian future where music has been discarded and one man with the gift of music leads a rebellion. Certainly not the most original story, but in this case, the plot fuels an amazing musical journey.

To be honest, the first two listens didn’t click with me but certain elements brought me back for a third listen and that’s when it all came together. This music rewards a patient listener. It’s not instant gratification because the musical intricacy takes time to digest. This is not new territory for the band (listen to 1999’s Scenes from a Memory) but this might be their most accomplished work to date.

If you are a fan of progressive rock and give this music a chance, you may find a true masterpiece that you will be listening to for years to come.

You can also visit The Astonishing web site for cool artwork and a rundown of: Characters, Places, Map, Tracklisting, Videos, and NOMACS.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

When I was a kid, I read DC comics. So for me, it’s very exciting to see my childhood heroes on the small screen. The Flash has quickly (pun intended) become one of my favs and hopefully I will be able to say the same of Legends.

It certainly starts off strong. Time Master Rip Hunter assembles a group of unlikely heroes to help him stop the nefarious Vandal Savage from destroying the world. These heroes include The Atom, Firestorm, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Heat Wave, Captain Cold, and White Canary.

The effects are good, the pacing is fast, and the story lines are fun. I’m really hoping the show can maintain all this just like the Flash series. Only time will tell. (Time pun also intentional!)

The Golden Schmoes

Voting opens February 8 for JoBlo’s 15th Annual Golden Schmoes Awards! What are the Golden Schmoes? They are the voice of real movie-goers and fans.

From JoBlo’s site:

Thanks to your nominations we have now compiled the final list of nominees for The 15th Annual JoBlo Movie Awards (aka The Golden Schmoes)! Final voting runs from Monday, February 8th through Wednesday, February 24th, with winners to be announced on Friday, February 26th, just ahead of the Oscars!

To note, the Golden Schmoes have been a staple of the site since its inception and we're proud to represent the popular vote and even have our winning results counted in the awards tally at IMDB
 
The full list is posted with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Mad Max: Fury Road leading the nominations. To vote, visit the 15th Annual Golden Schmoes Awards!

Writing Dark Fiction in Dracula’s Shadow

Transylvania workshop lets writers explore the ‘Mecca of Horror’

Writers & Publishers International (WPI) offers writers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on a novel or short story in Transylvania, the birthplace of the infamous Vlad the Impaler.

Running from August 7th to 14th, the Horror Writer’s Workshop is the ultimate summer vacation for any writer of dark fiction, from extreme horror to paranormal romance and everything in between. Attendees will dramatically improve their writing skills while exploring the darkness lurking behind the beautiful castles and fairytale villages of Romania.

It’s impossible to remain uninspired while walking the cobblestone streets of Sighişoara, where Vlad the Impaler was born, or while exploring the eerie Râșnov Fortress, where two Turkish well diggers met their doom.

During the month of February, WPI is offering a special two-for-one discount—those who book with a spouse, friend, or family member will get 50 percent off their registration fees. This deal ends on February 29th.

Between visits to some of the region’s most notorious sites, writers will benefit from the experience of instructor Brian Evenson, a multi award-winning horror writer and professor.

If you’re interested, it’s best to reserve your spot with a deposit, as the workshop sold out quickly last summer. Click Here for more information…if you dare.

- JH Moncrieff

Ninja News

Don’t forget articles for the IWSG newsletter are due soon – February 17 for this month and March 2 for next month. Two hundred words or less, and must be a member of the IWSG.
Send a DOC attachment to Chrys Fey at ChrysFey(at)yahoo(dot)com Put “Member Article” in the Subject Line.

I am at the A to Z Blog today with my ‘getting to know your co-hosts’ piece. Clones, Ninjas, and snark included.

Sign-ups for the 2016 A to Z Challenge are open now. Join us for a month of fun and alphabet insanity.


The authors of the IWSG anthology, Parallels: Felix Was Here, have set up a Website for it! If you want to meet all the authors, check it out.

Tethered by Letters is pleased to announce the F(r)iction Winter Literary Competition. There are three submission categories: 1) short stories of any genre ranging from 1,000 to 7,500 words, 2) flash fiction with a word limit of 750 words, and 3) poetry no longer than three pages. Winners of the contest will be published in a future issue of F(r)iction alongside stunning original artwork from TBL’s talented team of artists.

Artist and author Heather R. Holden needs your support: What’s Patreon? It’s a site where you can support creators of all kinds with monthly donations. If you decide to support me, I won’t have to rely on commissions and other odd jobs as much for income. In other words, I’ll have more time to make comics! Anyone who donates will receive fun perks, too. (High-resolution art files, commission discounts, wallpapers, art prints, early Echo Effect updates, and even artwork that’ll never be posted outside of Patreon.) You can read more about these perks here.

New Releases:

A Savage Ghost by Donna K. Weaver
Once part of an anthology, this story has been updated and revised for its solo launch.
Find it on Amazon

Valentine Pets & Kisses
Make your Valentine’s Day tail-wagging and purr-fect with 14 brand-new romances from award-winning and bestselling authors.
Including stories from our very own JL Campbell, Sydney Aaliyah Michelle, and Susan Oloier.
Find it on Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and Kobo

Anyone else pick up the new Dream Theater? Watching Legends of Tomorrow? Voting in the Golden Schmoes Awards? Want to visit Transylvania for the writing workshop? Interested in the fiction competition? Picking up some new books? And what did you think of the Super Bowl and its commercials?

Since next weekend is Valentine’s Day and a three-day weekend, my wife and I are extending those days and taking a vacation. So, no post next Monday (I don’t like to post when I can’t comment) and you won’t see me around much. Hope you guys have a great Valentine’s Day and I’ll see you here again on February 22!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group, February Movie Preview, and Love Triangles!

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 Allison Gammons, Tamara Narayan, Eva E. Solar, Rachel Pattison, and Ann V. Friend!

And yes! We have a new official badge. Time to ditch the lame image and go upscale. Feel free to grab it for you blogs.

Since not a lot has changed in my personal writing world since January, I thought I’d focus on some opportunities for you guys.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group’s first newsletter goes out on February 24! Sign up HERE. (If you are a member of the monthly blogging group, you are already signed up.)
One of the monthly features is an article from an IWSG member – and Chrys Fey needs your articles! If you’d like to submit an article for consideration, please follow the instructions below:
Who Can Submit: Insecure Writer's Support Group Members
Topic Ideas: Your number one writing, publishing or marketing tip; a motivational pep talk or inspirational story; a snippet about something you used to be insecure about but overcame or an Aha moment you had about writing/publishing.
Length: 200 words or less
How to Submit: Send a DOC attachment to Chrys Fey at ChrysFey(at)yahoo(dot)com Put “Member Article” in the Subject Line.
Deadline: March 2nd (Next IWSG Day)
NOTE: Chrys needs a member article for our first newsletter coming out February 24th. If you’d like to be considered for that issue, please send your article to her no later than February 17th.

Most of you saw the cover art and synopsis of the IWSG Anthology on Monday. Releasing this spring, Parallels: Felix Was Here features the ten winners from last fall’s IWSG Anthology Contest.
But guess what? We’ll be holding another contest this year as well! Which means another opportunity for blogging and Facebook members to submit a story.
And we’re going to let you guys decide the genre. So, keep watching the newsletter for details!

Now, go visit others on the IWSG list and encourage them!

Love Triangle: coffee, tea, and juice, by Toi Thomas

Alex, thanks for having me today. As we writers and bloggers know, our fuel of choice makes all the magic we create possible whether it’s coffee or tea, we can never have too much of it. But what about the oddballs- I mean, rare exceptions where the person doesn’t like tea or coffee. I find that these people tend to like juice or soda (water doesn’t count, we all need water at some point).

When working on my latest novel, It’s Like the Full Moon, a contemporary romance, I begin to think about the nature of writers and their fuel of choice. In my book, my main character Rebecca gets caught in a love triangle and I think I may be caught in one as well. While it seems that most writers have a kind of love-hate relationship with coffee and tea (they love one and hate the other), I find that I crave them both at different intervals.

When I’m in the zone, honing in character and plot development, tea is my drink. When I’m exhausted but know I need to write, coffee gives me the boost I need. Sometimes, however, when I’m milling about the draft stage, sweet juice keeps me going. What can I say, I just can’t choose one. But at least I’m not stuck in Rebecca’s shoes. Please enjoy this sample and check out my book, released under the pen name Glorie Townson.

“Whenever she was at home alone she tended to drink juice; when spending time with Virgil they drank coffee, and when she was with Paul they, of course, drank tea. With a furrowed brow, Rebecca shook her head to snap herself out of her trance. She thought to herself, This is not the time or the place to be having this particular breakdown.”

Find Toi at The ToiBox of Words
Find It’s Like the Full Moon at Amazon

February Movie Preview

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

5 –

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Jane Austen's classic tale of the tangled relationships between lovers from different social classes in 19th century England is faced with a new challenge -- an army of undead zombies.
Director: Burr Steers
Stars: Lily James, Lena Headey, Douglas Booth, Matt Smith
I might be in the minority, but I’m about zombie’d out – especially PG-13 zombies.

Hail, Caesar!
A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line.
Directors: Ethan Coen | Joel Coen
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes
Coen brothers, so could be great, or it could be the Ladykillers all over again.





12 –

Deadpool
A former Special Forces operative turned mercenary is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopting the alter ego Deadpool. Director: Tim Miller
Stars: Morena Baccarin, Ryan Reynolds, Gina Carano, T.J. Miller
Holy chimichanga – this looks funny as hell!





26 –

Gods of Egypt
A common thief joins a mythical god on a quest through Egypt.
Director: Alex Proyas
Stars: Gerard Butler, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton, Geoffrey Rush
Doesn’t look great, but then again, this is the director who brought us The Crow and Dark City.

What’s your writer insecurity today? Submitting to the newsletter? Have a genre in mind for the next IWSG Anthology Contest? What’s your love triangle? (If you can state it in public!) And what movie catches your eye this month…?

Thanks again to all who participated in the Lost and Found blogfest on Monday.

Reviews: RiffTrax – The Room and Kung Fu Panda 3! Plus Ethan Fox, IWSG Anthology Cover, Lost and Found Blogfest, Monday Music Moves Me, and Ninja News

RiffTrax Live: The Room Review

They claimed it was one of the worst movies ever made. I won’t argue that. The star of the film also wrote, directed, and produced it. (That’s never good.) Before it began, we were warned that not only had the man never seen a film, he’d never interacted with other humans, either.

The storyline (if you can call it that) centers around a man and his fiancé who is cheating on him with his best friend. And it doesn’t take place in just one room. (The best part was the random shots of San Francisco.)

There was also nudity. Believe me, the lead had no business being nude. And they were long scenes. Despite the gratuitous boob shots, I longed for those scenes to end.

Considering this was a film about human behavior and interaction, none of that rang true. Characters flip-flopped radically. Scenes were random and made no sense. It was the rough draft of a poorly written story. And all of it made worse by a lead who couldn’t act his way out of a wet paper bag. Which just gives Mike, Bill, and Kevin lots of fodder!

Don't go into The Room unless you're armed with RiffTrax!

And of course, a few pre-movie screen shots for you!

Kung Fu Panda 3 Review

Another solid entry in the Kung Fu Panda series.
Villain Kai breaks free from the spirit world, Po’s panda father appears, and Po must learn the art of Chi to save China.
The story doesn’t break much new ground. It still manages to be an enjoyable and very funny ride though.
The animation is stunning. The spirit world scenes are amazing.
Just good family entertainment. Recommended.

When Speculative Becomes Mundane

Please welcome author Ethan Fox!

Last week, I watched the movie Kingsman for the first time (yes, yes, I'm late to the party, fine). If you haven't seen it, suffice to say it's a spy movie, with most of the usual themes you tend to associate with spy films.
Anyway, there's a scene in the middle where the spy's mentor shows him their “armoury”, a bit like the part in every Bond film when JB goes to visit Q, and gets his exploding jock-strap.
The mentor shows the spy a poisonous pen, a shoe with a hidden knife, a lighter which is also a grenade... Then they get to the shelf with a bunch of tablets and phones.
“What's special about them?” asks the spy.
“Nothing,” says the mentor.
It's an elegant turn-of-phrase; funny in context, but also quite poignant. I guess it's a very human reaction that something we use every day becomes mundane, even though the capabilities of a smartphone would've had you burned as a witch just over a century ago, and would've probably made you a super-spy in the 1950s.
For those of us towards the fantasy end of fiction, this isn't too big a concern. The stuff that we write about, largely, can never exist by definition. For speculative fiction authors, though, I'm curious – have you ever written something fictional that turned out later to be real? Do you ever think about this as part of your writing?

Ethan Fox is an author of urban fantasy fiction, and has recently published his debut work, The Scissors and the Sword. It's available HERE from Amazon, in both Kindle and Paperback formats.
Also, BUY NOW at a special introductory price! This offer expires very soon, so check it out quickly if you want to take advantage of it.

The IWSG Anthology!

Here’s the cover and details:

Parallels: Felix Was Here, Anthology
Print ISBN 9781939844200
eBook ISBN 9781939844118
Science Fiction/Alternate History

Enter the realm of parallel universes!
What if the government tried to create the perfect utopia? Could a society linked to a supercomputer survive on its own? Do our reflections control secret lives on the other side of the mirror? Can one moment split a person’s world forever?
Exploring the fantastic, ten authors offer incredible visions and captivating tales of diverse reality. Featuring the talents of L. G. Keltner, Crystal Collier, Hart Johnson, Cherie Reich, Sandra Cox, Yolanda Renee, Melanie Schulz, Sylvia Ney, Michael Abayomi, and Tamara Narayan.
Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will expand your imagination and twist the tropes of science fiction. Step through the portal and enter another dimension!

Ninja News

Our very own Annalisa Crawford gathered third place in this year's Costa Short Story Award. She won for her story Watching the Storms Roll In. Visit her site for pictures of the awards ceremony. Way to go, Annalisa!

Out this week!
Assassin’s Heart by Sarah Ahiers
Multiple versions available at Amazon and find it on Goodreads

Monday Music Moves Me

Hosted by Xmas Dolly. Forgive me if I screw up the theme this week.


I’m hooked on several albums right now – new Megadeth, Dream Theater, Serenity… But since I reviewed Baroness-Purple last week, I decided to post one of their songs. Again, just good, solid rock. Nothing scary – promise!

Lost and Found: The Valentine's Edition/Question of the Month

This time, we are joining Michael at A Life Examined and doing a combination question and blogfest.

From Arlee Bird at Tossing it Out and Guilie Castilol-Oriard at A Quiet Laughter, and co-hosted by Elizabeth Seckman, Yolanda Renee, Denise Covey. and Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Tell your story about love lost or found in our special Valentine's blogfest. Your post can be a short fiction, an essay, poetry, or even a song--let your imagination run free.

What love did I lose and find again? Not the love of a woman. (No sir, I suckered her into marrying me before she came to her senses.)

My love of playing music.

I’ve played an instrument since I was young and even minored in music in college. But once I graduated and moved on with my life, I forgot about it.

Then, several years ago, my wife purchased a guitar for me. I’d always wanted to play one and after a few months of trial and error and one month of lessons, I became proficient enough to play a whole song. After years of being away from music, it was awesome.

Now I play in a Christian band, and it’s the most amazing thing ever. That I can create something that will inspire and move people – what more can an artist ask for?

Writing is fun and I’ve enjoyed where that path has led me. But music is my true passion. And I’ll not let it go again.

What about you?

Yes, one very full post!

Have you seen The Room? (The bad RiffTrax one, not the Oscar contender.) Catch Kung Fu Panda 3? Ever written anything that became real? Excited about the anthology? Ready to give Baroness a listen? And what love have you lost or found…?