Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Riff Trax Live – Anaconda! Plus the Trick-or-Treat Bloghop, Living Dead Girl, Alex the Author, and Ninja News

Riff Trax!

This Thursday, October 30 2014 is the next RiffTrax Live - the guys from MST3K strike at 1997's ANACONDA!
You can visit their site for a theater showing the broadcast, and if you live near Durham, NC, you can see it live. That’s right – time to hit the road north! I’m very stoked to see Mike, Kevin, and Bill do the show in person. I’ll give you a full review of the experience on Monday.

A Little Halloween Tune

Since it’s almost Halloween, if you’d like a little scary music while you read the rest of this post, just click play and enjoy Rob Zombie’s Living Dead Girl:




Ninja News

We are VERY honored to have million-copy NYTimes bestselling author, Ruth Harris, at the IWSG Site today!

The IWSG has also expanded with a second group on Facebook – the IWSG Critique Circle.
The aim of that group is to put writers who want to exchange critiques and find beta readers in touch with each other. And of course, there's the support and encouragement with the WiPs. So check it out!

Jeff Chapman’s Give Me Your Teeth: A Fae Tale comes out this Friday on Halloween!
Like most children, ten-year old Jimmy wonders where the Tooth Fairy keeps all those teeth.
He learns there's more to his mother than he ever imagined, and the Tooth Fairy isn't so harmless.
You can pre-order it now on Amazon.



Cindy is looking for guest reviewers for Good Book Alert. In return for a review, the guest reviewer will receive one guest post on the site. In both posts, your book/bio information will be posted as well. Visit Good Book Alert for details.

Sylvia Ney is holding a NaNo contest and giveaway – visit her site for details!

J E Oneil alerted me to this freaky story –
The ghastly Lake Natron, in northern Tanzania, is a salt lake—meaning that water flows in, but doesn’t flow out, so it can only escape by evaporation. Over time, as water evaporates, it leaves behind high concentrations of salt and other minerals, like at the Dead Sea and Utah’s Great Salt Lake.
Unlike those other lakes, though, Lake Natron is extremely alkaline, due to high amounts of the chemical natron (a mix of sodium carbonate and baking soda) in the water. The water’s pH has been measured as high as 10.5—nearly as high as ammonia.
You have to see the stunning images of birds turned to stone by the water at the Smithsonian Mag! In black and white, they are haunting.

And thanks to everyone who weighed in on Monday’s post - Are Authors Killing Blogging? There were some really detailed and thoughtful comments weighing in on promotion overload. If you missed it, go back and check it out.

Trick-or-Treat Book Bloghop!

Hosted by Patricia Lynne
The theme is EBooks are the Candy. We’re giving away books to one or more lucky commenters.
Hashtag #trickortreatreads

My treat for one lucky commenter is your choice:
EBook copies of all three of my books or
One print copy of your choice (CassaStar, CassaFire, or CassaStorm) with swag or
One print review copy of Dragon of the Stars (when available)

Just say Trick-or-Treat in comments to enter – winner will be announced Monday.

Alex the Author

Since I’m trying to put more of me here, I thought I’d give a unique run-down of what I’ve written. Some of you might not know what I write. Yes, it is mostly science fiction, but of the lighter space opera variety. (Think Star Wars.)

Sometimes it's wild to look back and think Holy crap, did I do that? This journey wasn't planned. I mean, how do you predict all of this - the blog, the books, the IWSG, the friendships? I'm grateful for the opportunity though.

CassaStar
The original version was written in the 70’s when I was a teen. Thirty years later, I rewrote it, and the story will always have a special place in my heart. Yes, this book started it all. I wouldn't be here otherwise.

CassaFire
Readers wanted a sequel. And a female character. (Crap!) Fortunately, I had a short story I could rewrite and I knew the main character well now. I wrote this during NaNo 2010. So if you’re participating in NaNo this year, if I can do it, you can do it!

CassaStorm
This story came from scratch and took me a long time to pull together. I’m proudest of this one, especially the fact I was able to write a convincing ten-year-old boy. (And I don’t even have kids!)

Heroes of PHENOMENA
I was invited to contribute to an anthology that tied in with a CD. I chose the song Drakon’s Empire and wrote a short story called CassaFate. I actually had to cut words to hit the 1500 word limit. (That has never happened before. Trust me!)

Indiestructible: Inspiring Stories from the Publishing Jungle
I was also asked to contribute to this anthology. I wrote a piece about the power of networking and having an online presence. (I sure as heck wasn’t going to offer any writing tips. I wanted to help not hinder.)

How I Found the Write Path: A Compilation of Letters
My letter was Prepare for Changes. Yeah, big time!

Overcoming Adversity
This book was a fund raiser for Andrew, who sadly passed away. My contribution was My Friends, My Heroes





Coming soon -

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond
Available this December, this book features over a hundred articles on writing, publishing, and marketing. So much good information! Ironically the word count is higher than any of my books…



Dragon of the Stars
Available next spring, this story is separate from the Cassan universe. I took the story idea of the song Dragon on the Sea by Ayeron and wrote my own. (I don’t recommend doing that, as a book is much longer than a seven minute song…)

Crap, that’s a lot! And I didn’t even want to be a writer. I’m just a dude with many guitars. And even more clones…

Anyone else seeing Riff Trax? Ready for Halloween? (Any other Halloween songs you’d like to suggest?) Did you go look at the Lake Natron photos? Did you say Trick-or-Treat? And are you as stunned as I am that a man of few words actually wrote all that…?

Don’t forget next Wednesday is IWSG post day!

154 comments:

Miranda Hardy said...

Glad to see you're promoting a little bit of Alex. Also glad to hear you're writing more.

I am not ready for Halloween. It just snuck right up on me.

Anonymous said...

Great to know more about YOU, Alex. you have written quite alot. I have your three Cassa Books . Looking forward to Halloween, I have a Halloween Special in mind.

Have a nice day.

Cindy said...

Thanks for mentioning my review blog. You rock (as you know). IWSG sure is expanding in great ways.

Natalie Aguirre said...

For someone who was never sure he wanted to write and still isn't, I'm amazed at how productive you are. And at how you brought this whole fantastic group of people together.

I'm going to go back and read more of the comments on your very interesting topic on Monday.

Brian Miller said...

we are so behind as to halloween...we do have costumes...but have yet to get pumpkins...doing that tonight...nice run down on your writing....best of wishes on the crit group as well...i have had mixed luck in the online world as to critique...

Rhonda Albom said...

Nice to see a lot more Alex here. Congrats on all your writing success. Halloween is different here, it's only just become popular. This is the first year we are going to a Halloween event.

Ted Cross said...

It's good to see a comprehensive list of what you've published, Alex. I don't normally like seeing such things on blogs, but you haven't exactly been pushing it!

Sarah Foster said...

It's great to see all of the things you've written and learn some of the back story on your books. You've certainly accomplished a lot!

I love winning books, so Trick-or-Treat!

TBM said...

Trick or Treat! Wow, lots of good stuff in this post. I always love how you keep me up to date with releases and blogging news.

kaykuala said...

It is such a treat to be a prolific writer. You've done very well on this Alex. Great that you get all the writers authors and bloggers together A privilege certainly for all in the group. Keep the good flag flying Alex - meaning more books to come.

Hank

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Miranda, not comfortable with it, but I did it.

Yvonne, can't wait to find out what it is!

Cindy, you're welcome.

Natalie, thanks, and still not sure how it happened.

Brian, hope you can still find some good pumpkins.

Rhonda, enjoy!

Ted, thanks. Thought it was a good idea to do it once.

Hank, we'll find out if there are more books...

Unknown said...

Hey Alex!

Dang, that's a lot of stuff you've put out there. Great job! And the story about the tooth fairy by Jeff sounds cute.

As you are aware, my blogging dropped off after my mom passed...just needed to get through that. I went down and read about authors killing blogging.

Just my two cents: There are PUH-LENTY of writing blogs/sites out there. Unless one can offer something different, then you may as well just take a place at the end of the line.

So, I do like you...write about the things that interest me. Some of that may be promos for friend's books. Heck, why not? But I'm not bothered if a lot of writers don't visit, because yes, it is posted everywhere. I've decided that when I write a post (and they will be more frequent, now that I'm over the BIG heartache), I'll share it on social media, where I have more non-writerly followers, and see who swings by. I always appreciate any and all who do. And of course, a lot more people flow through than leave comments.

Always good to see you.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

You've written a lot of great books, Alex. I'm sure more will come.

mshatch said...

Wow. Those pics from Lake Naltron are eerie - and sad. Poor birds!

Charles Gramlich said...

Old Rob knows how to get me in a halloween mood.

mail4rosey said...

That's pretty awesome actually that your first book began as something you wrote as a teen. I bet it's nice to write for a living. Busy, but nice. :)

John Wiswell said...

Living Dead Girl was one of my favorite songs as a teen!

Luanne G. Smith said...

Whoa. A lake that turns birds to stone? That sounds like a story prompt to me. :)

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Love the new header! (I've been MIA for a bit, so it might not be new to some but it is to me.)

You know, I'm not much into the grunge, gore type of music. But for some weird reason, I've always liked Rob Zombie.

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Trick'r TREAT... and one of my favorite Rob Zombie songs on his own... looking forward to your new book, I think I am not the only one.

So HAPPY SCARY day coming...

Boo to you,
Jeremy

Dani said...

I checked out the link for the alkaline lake... amazing! I shared it with my co-workers. How beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

Cherie Reich said...

The stories that lake could inspire!

Sylvia Ney said...

Congrats on the publications! I'm looking forward to seeing what else you come up with. Thanks for the mention, and link.

Crystal Collier said...

So many awesome things happening! Wait, Halloween is in 2 days, right? Eek! Seriously, this whole Fall has been one epic bit of insanity after another. I'm finding it bizarre to think November and December are going to be calm compared to September and October. LOL!

Unleashing the Dreamworld

Heather M. Gardner said...

Man of few words? That's funny! You always have so many amazing things to tell us!

ALEX!!!

Happy almost Halloween!

Those bird pictures are freaky. Really freaky.

It's awesome to see all your work lined up! I can't wait to see the cover for your new book!

BTW - The third pic down on my blog today was the one I was hoping wouldn't offend you. :)

Heather

Shell Flower said...

Have fun at Rifftrax! Happy Halloween. And it's cool to see your list of works. Keep on rockin'!

Unknown said...

ooh can't wait to check out the IWSG guide to publishing! lots of exciting stuff going on! makes me squee!

Dianne K. Salerni said...

I have TWO, count 'em TWO book events this week where I was invited to wear a costume, but I found out that NONE, count 'em, NONE of the other authors will be wearing one. Spoil sports. :(

I know I could just wear one anyway, but I am way too socially awkward to be comfortable standing out in that way.

At least when I was teaching, I wore one to school on Halloween. :(

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Wow, Alex! I am totally impressed. :)

I love your comment re writing about a kid character. I've been told I write kids and old people very well. I don't know what that says about me, but I'm learning to not analyze this stuff too much. :)

Dixie@dcrelief said...

Trick or Treat! Would love to read any of your works - I'm a hard copy kind of girl though.
I'm an hour or so from Durham - maybe I can get there, thanks for the heads up!
Crazy song & video - I feel exposed now.
The Smithsonian photos are haunting. What an incredible thing; would love to visit, but... scary!
Thanks for visiting my comedic blogspot! Take care.

A Beer for the Shower said...

I'd love a print review copy of Dragon (already have all 3 ebooks of the Cassa series and am 3/4 way through book 2), so Trick-or-Treat!

And it's nice to see your writing resume here on display. I always forget that you've written more than just the Cassa series.

H. R. Sinclair said...

Wow, you have written a lot. I knew it, but seeing it right there is cool.

I looked at those photo. Disturbing and fascinating.

Trick-or-Treat,
smell my feet,
give me something
good to read. teehee

Anonymous said...

Alex, CONGRATS on all that you have written! It is great to see you sharing more about you.

No decorating for Halloween. Unless you count the wet piles of leaves decorating, lol.

Oh, yeah. Trick-or-Treat! ; )

Anonymous said...

That's an impressive body of works, Alex. Congratulations. We're all glad you kept going and it lead to things like IWSG.

Fundy Blue said...

It's fun to learn more about you as a person, Alex. I was very interested to see what other things you have written. And, of course, I read the Smithsonian article on the calcified animals. I was amazed to learn that a species of fish actually lives in the lake. The helicopter pilot crashing into the reflective lake is something bush pilots deal with in the North ~ or did deal with. They can land above or below the water when the lake is like a mirror. I really like the cleaner look of your blog! Happy writing!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Your writing credits really add up when you list them all together. Well done. I'm actually glad my children are older now since I'm not much of a fan of Halloween.

L.G. Keltner said...

I wish I could see Riff Trax live! I watched MST3K all the time as a kid, and I still watch old episodes when I have the time. Those guys are hilarious!

Rob Zombie is perfect to get into the Halloween mood. Trick-or-Treat!

Michelle Wallace said...

For a man of few words, you sure have written a lot of words. So the phrase 'a man of few words' is actually misleading.

Trick or Treat!
(Halloween's not such a big deal this side...)

Leovi said...

Lovely song by Rob Zombie!

Pat Hatt said...

They have a lot of material with anaconda haha

Good to promote a bit here and there. Never knew you were part of so many anthologies.

Jennifer Hawes said...

Great run down of your novels. I wrote both my published novel and my finished WIP for one NANO month. CRAZY. I never registered but what does that matter? :) My son is playing varsity football in the play offs on Halloween night. Much better than trick or treating!

Carrie-Anne said...

I have a Halloween tablecloth year-round! It's orange with black checks, and black lace around the edges, so it doesn't really look out of place like a tablecloth with spiders or skeletons would during other seasons.

Todd in the Shadows, of That Guy with the Glasses, has reviewed a few Halloween songs, including the classic "The Monster Mash."

Liz Blocker said...

Birds turned to stone??? Sheesh! That's a fiction story waiting to be written.

Happy Halloween!

Mark said...

Very cool! I enjoyed reading about Ruth Harris on IWSG:)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Mike, I'm certainly not going to offer writing tips!

Marcy, weren't they sad and haunting?

Rosey, I'm glad I don't write for a living. Too much pressure.

LG, doesn't it?

Sheri, just went up last week. And you rock.

Thanks, Jeremy!

Thank you, Karen.

Dani, I thought it was incredible.

Sylvia, you're welcome.

Heather! No offense. I thought it was funny. And hope Baby Jesus did go for the head.

Dianne, you should wear one anyway.

Dixie, be cool if you went. And the images are spooky.

Brandon and Bryan, thanks!

Holly, that made me chuckle.

Fundy, thanks, and wild a fish actually exists in that lake.

Pat, I didn't realize it either until I listed them.

Robyn Campbell said...

I always love seeing more of you, Alex. Dragon of the Stars sounds wonderful. What a great idea for writing a book. I have something in my head that deals with a Beatles song. Hmm....

I'd love to see Anaconda. But I'm in Black Mountain. Right outside of Asheville. *sigh*

Wow, those pics are haunting. The story about the helicopter pilot was so sad. :(

Trick or treat, Alex. Happy haunted Halloween!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Your books are all wonderful, but I can understand why you're most proud of CassaStorm. It is when we challenge ourselves and not only survive but come out feeling great, well, that is a true accomplishment. Congratulations, Alex!

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Here's to putting yourself out there Alex. That lake is freaky and no way am I giving up my teeth.

Unknown said...

There are times I think you are superhuman Alex. Truly I don't know how you get it all done. Along with everything else, you're also a musician and I know what kind of time that takes.

Sorry for my absence, but my Father In Law has been in and out of hospital for much of the month.

Elephant's Child said...

You have written, and done, a lot. And continue to do so. A life well lived.

Melissa said...

I'm working Halloween. I'll be surrounded by little eating, pooping goblins. :P

Birgit said...

I knew about this lake from a animal show because they were talking about the flamingos but I didn't know how gargoyle like the dead birds (and bat) showed up. It is so eerie. Once could make a great story from this. Congrats on all the writing you have done! I am going to be ready for Halloween but not there yet. I am going to be Goo, from Gumbey and Pokey. Are you dressing up? being a Ninja perhaps?

Li said...

Oh yeah, definitely headed to the Lake article at Smithsonian. I love weird science, and maybe that would provide a unique way to murder some one... in a story, I mean. Heh heh heh then you could display them as a statue in your living room...ahem.

Nice body of work Alex! :)

Jo said...

Trick-or-Treat. I am waiting for the latest book, sounds great as were your other three books.

Those calcified birds are fascinating. Hadn't heard of it before.

Enjoy your Riff Trax. No idea what it is of course. Will you drive there and back in one day or stay in Durham for the night?

SK Anthony said...

It's awesome to get to know more of "Alex" and what a great list you have going there! :D

Have fun at Rifftrax!

Loni Townsend said...

You have an awesome portfolio there. :)

I was just listening to that Rob Zombie song earlier today! Those birds from the Smithsonian are super creepy. I'm looking forward to Jeff's new story!

Trick or treat!

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

Love the new look of the blog with your books featured at the top. Also, like the idea of running a list of your published projects with a little blurb about each!

Andrew Leon said...

I'm hoping to work CassaStorm into my reading schedule soon.

Julie Flanders said...

It's so impressive to see your body of work, Alex. Amazing what you've accomplished.
Happy Halloween!

M Pax said...

You know I would enjoy the Anaconda movie, especially with beer. :)

Congrats to Jeff and I"m going to have to check out that lake thing. I can't resist...

Trick or treat!

J E Oneil said...

A mention on Alex's blog, how cool. Thanks :). Glad my random musings are of interest. I thought that story was neat (and creepy).

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Robyn, you might be a little too far...

Joylene, thanks, and you know it.

Anne, I'm sorry! No need to apologize where family is concerned.

Melissa, thanks for the laugh!

Birgit, if I dress as a Ninja, how will anyone know since they won't see me?

Lisa, what a wicked cool idea!

Jo, I can get there in under two hours, so all in a day.

Loni, you rock!

Andrew, thanks - think you'll like the character of Bassan.

Mary, three beers and the RiffTrax guys!

JE, everyone has found it fascinating.

Tony Laplume said...

Yes, but what about MamaCass?

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

You have been busy. I must catch up on your other books before the new one comes out.
Halloween is so much fun. Love the pumpkins and ghostly creatures.

Susan Kane said...

I loved "The Monster Mash" from years ago!

Frankly, I dread Halloween. Last year I kept a record of princesses, Thors, et. Had to make a new column for adults dressed out in racy costumes. Sigh.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

You write books? Cool. ;)

I didn't know about the blog hop, looks like a fun one. I'll have to check that out. But then I have several promo posts lined up for Friday, so hmmm.

Thanks for the link to Ruth- excellent post.

Mason T. Matchak said...

If nobody quotes the Nicki Minaj song during that "Anaconda" screening, I'm going to be very disappointed. :P And one of my favorite Halloween songs is Marilyn Manson's cover of "This is Halloween", though the original is always good too.

And that cover for "Give me your Teeth", as well as the title, freaks me out. O_o

Trick or Treat!

ilima said...

I'm glad to see more about Alex on the blog. That's a great list of books to be proud of!

dolorah said...

Trick or Treat!! for the ebooks, of course.

I love Rob Zombie. That is a perfect halloween song, lol.

Brandon Ax said...

Give me your teeth sound really cool.

It was nice to see your publishing journey.

Christine Rains said...

Trick or treat! :)

I think tomorrow night sounds like a good date night for my husband and I if the theatre around here is hosting RiffTrax. We're both big MST3K fans. I've been picking up a lot of free read treats this week all over the blogging community. Everyone's so generous! Heading over to the IWSG site now.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Tony, working on that...

Susan, some people shouldn't go out in public.

Mason, I'll let you know.

Thanks, Ilima!

Donna, yes it is.

Christine, hope you can catch it!

Holy Ghost Writer said...

That is a lot of works published, congrats

Denise Covey said...

So many goodies in this post Alex. I like the idea of the IWSG Critique Group. Great idea.

Mason Canyon said...

Alex, congrats on all your books. I didn't realize you had written so much in such a short time. Wishing you continued success, my friend, and many, many more books to come.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

It's always nice to learn more about the Ninja Captain. I love the fact that you wrote the original CF as a young lad.

Happy almost-Halloween, Alex. xo

Unknown said...

The music video didn't want to play for me. But no worries, I got to listen to the Star Wars theme song that was playing on my Pandora station :) Also, give me your teeth sounds creepy... yeep!

SC Author said...

Those photos are insanity. Talk about a Halloween experience!

Helena said...

I have your Cassa books, Alex, and I'm looking forward to starting them over the holidays.

Those photos of the calcified bird and bat were truly extraordinary and otherworldly. Thank you for the link.

Empty Nest Insider said...

Congrats on starting an IWSG Critique Group! I'll have to go back to make sure I have all of the anthologies you've appeared in. If not, I'm pretty close! Have a happy Halloween! Trick or treat!

Julie

Tammy Theriault said...

Trick or Treat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol. I'm so ready for my kids to get me candy... ooops. I said too much. can't wait to dig in to the writer's path. just got my copy!

Deniz Bevan said...

Trick or Treat!
I'm glad you asked that author/blogger question; it's interesting to read all the different viewpoints.
Hallowe'en song eh...now I've got Monster Mash stuck in my head!

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Wow Alex...I knew you were a write but I didn't realize you had written that much. You rock!!

Julie Dao said...

You've had a prolific career and it will continue with many more great books!

Dean K Miller said...

Impressive list of titles! Trick or treat from the big apple but not pitching a book here. Ha. Song...walking with a dead man over my shoulder by Oingo Boingo

Bish Denham said...

Wow, you've really got quite a nice list of writing credits to your name! Have a wonderful Halloween.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Mason, we'll see!

Emilyann, sorry about that.

Helena, thanks!

Appreciate that Julie.

Tammy, excellent!

Keith, I hadn't realized it either.

Patricia Stoltey said...

I'm so impressed with all of your accomplishments, Alex, but I don't see how you ever have the time to sleep. :D

Stephanie Faris said...

I LOVE Halloween, so thanks for the music!!! We're going on a ghost tour on a hearse, so hopefully I'll have some great pictures Monday.

Sherry Ellis said...

Love the Halloween song! Very cool!

That's awesome about IWSG critique group. I may have to look into that. When I moved to Georgia, I lost my awesome crit group in Ohio. Crit groups really help keep you motivated and help you improve.

Vanessa Morgan said...

I WAS ready for Halloween, but I'm going on an unexpected trip to Africa tomorrow, so I'll be spending Halloween on the plane :)

Vanessa Morgan said...

Oh, and I just saw your comment on my blog. Yes, I watched The Keep about ten years ago. Not a perfect film, but the atmosphere sure was good. Reminded me of a more recent movie called Deathwatch.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Glad to know a bit more about Author Alex, who is the humblest person I have met after my dad. Wow, you rewrote the book 30 years later. And I am amazed that you wrote a book when you were in your teens.

Leovi said...

Your trilogy is a great prize!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Patricia, I do like my sleep now!

Stephanie, that sounds awesome.

Sherry, go join then.

Vanessa, Africa? Wow. And no, the movie had issues, but it's still amazing.

Rachna, thank you!

Cathrina Constantine said...

I do love Halloween, but as I grow older it's harder and harder to get in the mood. I started watching scary movies. And stocked up on candy for the little goblins that will be knocking down the door tomorrow night. Now over to IWSG.

Donna McDine said...

Thanks for the run down of your books. Quite the impressive list!

Anonymous said...

It's awesome that you have all those books and anthology pieces published.

I enjoy Rob Zombie.

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for IWSG...it's been so long and I have yet to figure out what I'm going to write.

Suze said...

I really enjoyed the Alex the Author portion of this post, Al. I didn't know the first of the Cassa stories was written when you were a teen. That is a cool fact.

It's been a joy to follow your journey, all the way to Dragon of the Stars!

Maurice Mitchell said...

The book turned out well considering you were a teenager since everything I wrote then isn't nearly as polished.

Anonymous said...

trick or treat!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Cathrina, I don't get excited about it either.

Avantika, are you insecure about it?

Suze, glad you enjoyed it. I did write it as a teen.

Maurice, it did involve a complete rewrite.

Blue Grumpster said...

I once knew this girl... I swear, Alex, I didn't know whether she was alive or very much dead....

Give me YOUR teeth! ;)

Truedessa said...

Happy Halloween to the ninja wannabee what will you be for Halloween? What else but, a ninja now you see him now you don't.

Nice to meet a bit of the author. I am thinking the ninja might
want to take a road trip. I'd be happy to take him to the mountain with me. If I get there.

Donna K. Weaver said...

It does kind of blow the mind, doesn't it, when you list them like that? Especially for someone like you who never meant to write more than that first book. Go you, Alex! And have fun at the show.

Anonymous said...

I'm not surprised the IWSG book has the biggest word count - we're a bunch of blabber mouths around here. :)

Two things I found most interesting - you don't have kids. I assumed you had two kids, a boy and a girl. Don't know why.

And, you wrote your first book in the seventies. That's awesome!!

Happy Halloween!

J Lenni Dorner said...

Trick-or-Treat !

Ohh, Rob Zombie. Fantastic choice. Love that song.

Have a great Halloween. Remember- Ninja's get extra candy.

Unknown said...

I had no idea you'd written so much--I only knew about the trilogy, and the new book. That's awesome Alex!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Blue, maybe she was the living dead girl?

Mini-Alex would be happy to go on a road trip!

Donna, it did blow my mind.

Elsie, that made me chuckle. And sorry, no kids. Way too old now.

Thanks, everyone!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Love the rundown on your books - you are a guy with many guitars and many books!

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

I never knew you didn't have kids. For some reason, I pictured you surrounded by like ten of them.

Unknown said...

I would love to win a print review copy of either CassaStar or Dragon of the Stars (which is what I'm really leaning toward). I truly appreciate this opportunity. Of course, I'd happily post my review on my blogs, Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, and link with Twitter. I've recently added a few new sites to my postings, including Shelfari, LibraryThing, Riffle (when I don't have to destroy a review by over-shortening it), BookLikes, and others. My email, if you need it is michelle_willms at yahoo dot com. Of course, I follow your blog, and the IWSG postings.

cleemckenzie said...

Cheering you on in your wriiting career while I listen to Living Dead Girl and that's putting me into the Spookfestest mood ever.

See you in December!

Morgan Dragonwillow said...

All of your books look intriguing! This is my first time visiting your site and I'm hopping over from Patricia Lynne's Trick Or Treat Blog Hop as a fellow blogger. Happy Halloween!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Tyrean, I think I actually have more books than guitars now...

Michael, those are just Mini-Alex's clones.

Michelle, thanks!

Lee, glad you liked the music.

Welcome, Morgan!

Lori L. MacLaughlin said...

I enjoyed reading about your books. That music video was creepy! I couldn't get through the whole thing. Happy Halloween! Trick or Treat!

Kristin Smith said...

Trick-or-Treat!!

Those pics of the stone animals are amazing! I can't believe I never knew a lake like that existed. Crazy cool.

Wow, you sure have written a lot for someone who never wanted to be a writer! It's inspiring, truly.

Have a great Halloween! :)

The Notebook Blogairy said...

Hi Alex!
Love that you added Rob Zombie for our listening pleasure as we peruse your blog. :-)

Trick-or-Treat!

So enjoying this blog hop!

Unknown said...

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of Jeff Chapman's story and it was excellent!

Birds turning to stone? Yikes!

Loved the deets of the "birth" of your books, Alex!

Have a great Halloween!

Unknown said...

Trick-or-treat!! Have a Happy Halloween and thank you so much for the giveaway!

Jeff Chapman said...

Thanks for the plug for Give Me Your Teeth. Trick-or-Treat.

kjmckendry said...

The pictures of Lake Natron are beautifully creepy! Perfect for this week.

Look at all those books you've written that's quite an accomplishment!!

SpacerGuy said...

Halloweens been a blast this year Alex, over thirty came to my door. Its great to see the IWSG go from strength to strength! I betcha Chapman's tooth fairy is a vampire!

Scribbles From Jenn said...

Happy Halloween to you, too. I'm going to check out Monday's post. I have my thoughts on this, but I'll share them there.

Jeff's book looks scary, but sounds intriguing!

Stephen Tremp said...

Haven't seen that Rob Zombie video in years. Classic!

Looking forward to your review of Anaconda! How cool is that. I'd pay good money to see that.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Kristin, aren't the photos wild?

Jeff, you're welcome!

Thirty? Spacerguy, hope some candy is left over for you.

Stephen, and worth every penny...

Chip-aka-quietman928'sattempt said...

Trick or Treat! Thank you!

msmariah said...

Happy Halloween Alex! Great post as usual. Are you going to see any movies this week? Perhaps Nightcrawler?

Anonymous said...

Hola Ninja Captain!! Happy Howl-o-ween and Trick or Treat!! If I win, your loyal clone would love, love, love a print review copy of Dragon of the Stars! Just sayin' :)

Ok, I'm going to check out that lake now...Enjoy the rest of your evening! Hugs. Eva

The Happy Whisk said...

You've done much great stuff here, Alex. And I believe, you've only cracked the surface. Keep up the good work.

Happy Hallowen, boogie boogie and muhahahahaha.

The Happy Whisk said...

As I was hitting publish, I saw I spelled Halloween wrong.

That's pretty bad, for me. But it's all in good fun.

Enjoying our three day holiday weekend.

Cheers and boogie boogie.

Ella said...

HAPPY, for you, Captain!
Woo, hoo on not planning-life needs to be filled with wonder n' stars!

You are a star-thanks for all you do!!

No tricks up my sleeve!
Hope your Halloween was sweet!

Meradeth Houston said...

Congrats on so many awesome accomplishments! And I hope you had a great Halloween!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - lots here and I'm so late. I must come back and re-read through exactly what's going on ...

Re Lake Natron - it's the only site in East Africa where Lesser Flamingoes breed ... it's a fascinating area of nature ... but is under threat ...

Hope you had a happy Halloween without too much candy! Hilary

Anonymous said...

Oh did we have a load of trick or treaters last night, and all of them were positively wonderful!

I can see you've been very busy on the publishing front. It's exciting to publish books. Here's to your every success!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Ms. Mariah, think I'll wait for that one...

Eva, hope you win then.

Ivy, but it made me chuckle.

Hilary, I would think it is the threat.

Suzanne said...

Mixed feelings about the photos - the detail is amazing and impressive, until you remember that they were once living creatures.

Bit late but have only seen Maleficent and GotG on that list.

Yes to the blogging quesion. I find I whizz past my feed when there's 15-20 individual bloggers promoting the same book on the same day. Overload!
x

Saumya said...

Wow, I continue to be amazed by how much you write (books and blogging). That takes so much discipline and balance!! Hope you had a good Halloween!!

LynNerdKelley said...

Wow, Alex, your writing credits are awesome and so is the online presence you've had!

Those birds turned to stone are fascinating!

Jeff Chapman's book sounds interesting. I hope it has lots of humor!

Take it easy, Alex!

Leovi said...

A good book can be a life and a song book of life at precise moments!

Leslie S. Rose said...

Lake Natron is the stuff of nightmares. Nice creep out!

Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work, Alex! Jeff's tooth fairy tale is great -- definitely give it a read.

kimlajevardi.com said...

You've come a ong way, Alex. That was an impressive list of writing achievements. I hope you had a Happy Halloween!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Suzanne, agree about the overload.

Saumya, thanks, and I did!

Lynn, I believe humor is involved.

Kim, I did!

Bossy Betty said...

As always, it's busy over here! Thanks for being such a faithful commenter. You are amazing!

Bossy Betty said...

As always, it's busy over here! Thanks for being such a faithful commenter. You are amazing!

Jack said...

It was great getting to see some of your other writing projects, and hearing how the others came to be. Also, a new story!! That is exciting!

Carrie Butler said...

1. I definitely have to go back and read Monday's post now!

2. Way to go putting some more Cavaknowledge out there! :D

EEGiorgi said...

I love the title "Dragon of the Stars", can't wait to read it !

DMS said...

I missed the Halloween Hop- but I love the idea behind it and it is just such a super cool idea. :)

Reading this post made me think of Halloween music and I just realized I didn't hear The Monster Mash once this October... odd!

Curious about the tooth fairy book- that sounds like a unique story.
~Jess

Chemist Ken said...

I'll be stopping by the Realms Faire and see how you're doing. Good luck.

Toi Thomas said...

You have quite an impressive and awarding when library of works. You are an example to us all. I hope to be there some day.

Rahul said...

Thanks for the plug for Give Me Your Teeth. Trick-or-Treat.
Rahul Yadav