Updates & Author Interviews

I didn't post last week, because I completely forgot what day it was, and I try to post every Wednesday. So I realized Thursday that Wednesday was already gone. I know I'm not the only one having issues with keeping track of the days!

My webinar was yesterday, and it went well! Great conversations in the chat. Fantastic answers to my questions. It was something I needed, something I'd been missing. With appearances canceled, those familiar types of interactions are gone, and the little ways I can help are reduced. I'm glad I had the chance to do it.

I've been thinking of doing an interview series with a focus on authors at home, so I may be hitting some of you up soon. More details to come soon!

Stuff I've Been Enjoying

Books

Advice From a Toaster, VOL 1-3, by R.J. Rowley

A trio of books in one, there's comedic advice on working out, dealing with death, and finding love. At moments absurd, it's a bunch of fun, and a cotton candy tome to read.

Allison, by Jeff Strand

Crime and supernatural powers, this ones also got a sense of humor. Plenty of sarcasm. This was fast paced, and I read it quickly. Allison has the power to break people's bones, but she's never learned to control the power. The opening scene had me aghast. Allison has a touch of sociopath in her, but she's doing her best to keep others safe from her. That is, until a mob boss pushes her too far. She doesn't start fights, but she certainly finishes them.

Movies

Gretel & Hansel

A nice, creepy, girl-power kind of movie with undertones of coming of age, and the fear of women with power. Plus, some dead children and a mysterious house in the woods that smells of bacon and cakes. (Redbox)

Troma's War

This was part of the double feature from The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder. It's completely ridiculous. And I do mean completely. But it was a kick. American tourists get stranded on an island when their plane goes down. They discover guerilla terrorists are using the island to stage an attack on U.S. soil, so they take matters into their own hands and go after the terrorists. Fun Fact: The director of this film turned in an edited copy to the ratings board to sneak it by with a PG rating. Upon approval, he sent out the unedited version. He got busted. (Shudder)

One Cut of the Dead

I absolutely loved this movie! It's a Japanese horror comedy (subtitled). This was the second film in the Joe Bob double feature. At the start, you see the movie they're filming play out in one cut. Then it goes back to the beginning, to the pitch, then casting, then the issues plaguing the film as it's made. On the surface, it's a film about zombies. But then real zombies bust out and come after the cast. The crazed director keeps filming. And round and round we go. This film was clever and funny, and I'll definitely be watching it again. (Shudder)

Bad Boys Trilogy

Each week, we have a movie and pizza night with the kids. The last three weekends, we've watched the Bad Boys films in order, ending with the newest one, Bad Boys for Life. If you haven't revisited this series in a while (or you've never seen them) now's a great time. They've announced Bad Boys #4. Can anyone tell me if Will Smith ever takes a day off? Look at his filmography! You'll be blown away by how many projects he has going on at any one time. I highly recommend at least watching number 2 before seeing 3. There were details I forgot in between.

TV Shows

'Til Death Do Us Part

True Crime series about marriages ending in death, either because one spouse kills another, or because someone else kills one or both of them. When they say hate is love gone bad, they're not wrong. These are heart breaking. (Hulu)

Married With Children

Yep, the one and only. I watched this as a kid (it started airing when I was around 10), so viewing it as an adult is a completely different experience. Peg and Al are awful, but there are surprisingly sweet moments in most episodes. And it's a lot of fun seeing the younger versions of these folks who are so familiar. As an old, married gal, watching them influence the newlywed couple (Marcy and Steve) is pretty funny. And I'm relieved to say that my husband and I are nothing like the Bundys.

Never Have I Ever

This is a cute YA show about an Indian American teenage girl trying to change up her life. In case you think this sounds serious, let me tell you who's narrating the show: John McEnroe. McEnroe narrating a young girl's life. This show has a great sense of humor, but also addresses teen issues.

#BlackAF

Disguised as a documentary, this mockumentary features the real Kenya Barris (creator of Blackish) as himself, with a cast playing his family. One of his fictional daughter's is making a documentary for school, which has her following her family around and doing one on one interviews with them. With hints of Blackish, Barris plays a funny version of himself, and we get a slightly different view on the kids and wife. His wife's name on the show is Joya, but he's actually married to Rainbow Barris (so the name of the wife in Blackish). I'm not too ashamed to admit that I thought for a few minutes that it was an actual documentary, and that he was married to Rashida Jones. Then he called her Joya. Okay, maybe I'm ashamed to admit it. In real life, he has six kids. Yikes!

Fire in Paradise

This documentary involves survivors of the fire in Paradise, CA that wiped out an entire city. I've been on the receiving end of a wildfire sweeping toward my home and the terror it caused, but their experiences are absolutely horrific. From a teacher on a school bus full of kids trapped in traffic, with smoke filling the bus so badly that they're falling asleep, to a cop forcing a couple who refuse to evacuate into his car just in time to gun it through pure fire to get them away, to people trapped on all sides who are told to get out of their cars and flee on foot. It felt incredibly short to me, but it's an extremely powerful documentary, especially in this era of increasingly erratic fires that defy the rules they've always followed.

Podcasts

The Murder Squad - Jensen & Holes

Retired cop Paul Holes (who helped hunt down The Golden State Killer) and true crime journalist Billy Jensen focus on a case each episode that they'd like help solving. Their first episode involved Bill Bradford and the search to track down the women whose photos were found among his things when he was caught. There are still 47 women needing identification.

Okay, on to links. Bear in mind I'm just passing these along, not endorsing them. Always do your own due diligence when submitting.

Accepting Submissions:

Page & Spine is seeking short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. Up to 3000 words. Pays $.01/word. Deadline June 1.

Eerie River Publishing is seeking horror/dark spec fic stories involving the sky for "It Calls From the Sky."1000 to 10,000 words. Pays in royalties. Deadline June 1.

Pandemic Publications is seeking fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photography, and art. Pays $50 to $150, depending upon submitted medium. Up to 3000 words.

Occult Detective Magazine is seeking stories about...an occult detective. Pays $.01/word. Deadline June 5.

Third Point Press is seeking fiction and poetry. Up to 3500 words. Pays $10. Deadline June 26.

The Whorticulturalist is seeking essays, poetry, and fiction by female identifying authors. 2000 to 3000 words. Pays $5 to $100, depending upon submission type.

Reflex Press is seeking flash fiction up to 1000 words. Paying market.

Submarine Magazine is seeking fiction, nonfiction, and poetry full of emotion. Word limit varies per type of submission. Pays $10 to $30.

The West Review is seeking poetry and prose. Up to 1500 words. Pays a small honorarium.

Have you been watching any of these shows? Seen any of the movies? Have you heard of this podcast? Read any of these books? What would you want to hear in an author interview?

May you find your Muse.