Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Insecure Writer’s Support Group Big Announcement! Plus September Movie Preview, Movie Trivia Answers, and New Releases

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 Julie Flanders, Murees Dupé, Dolorah at Book Lover, Christine Rains, and Heather Gardner!


Today marks four years since the group began and two years since we opened the website. So what better way to celebrate than offer our members an amazing opportunity! Presenting…

The IWSG Short Story Contest 2015

After the success of last year’s IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond, we decided to create another book. This time it’s a short story competition with the top ten stories getting published in an anthology. (Authors will also receive royalties on sales.)

Eligibility: Any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging or Facebook member. The story must be previously unpublished. Entry is free.

Word count: 5000-6000

Theme: Alternate History/Parallel Universe. That’s right, we’ve decided to go the speculative route. This theme has plenty of scope and we’re open to pretty much anything along these lines, except erotica or graphic violence.

Story deadline: November 1st 2015

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted, previously unpublished story to TheIWSG at gmail dot com before the deadline passes. Make sure to include your contact details.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges:
Laura Maisano - Senior editor at Anaiah Press for their YA/NA Christian fiction
Russell Connor – Author and owner of Dark Filament Publishing Startup
Candace Havens – Editorial Director for the Covet, Select, Select Otherworld, Select Historical, Embrace, Indulgence for Entangled Publishing. She is also a nationally syndicated columnist and award-winning and best-selling author.
Dawn Frederick – Literary agent and the founder of Red Sofa Literary
Alice Speilburg – Founder of the Speilburg Literary Agency
Michelle Johnson – Literary agent and the founder of Inklings Literary Agency
Kendare Blake - Author
Lydia Moëd - Associate agent at The Rights Factory

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title. The winners will also receive an exclusive badge to display on their blog.

We’re excited to see the creativity and enthusiasm that’s such a part of this group put into action. So don your creative caps and start writing. And spread the word!

The #IWSG short story anthology contest is open! For details - http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/2015/09/iwsg-post-day-and-special-anniversary.html #contest #shortstory #anthology


Ninja News

Battle of the Banned results:
The song was Powerslave and the votes were close. With my vote for Maiden…
Iron Madien - 12
Testament - 8

Truedessa wrote a beautiful poem about the Dragon and posted a shot of the book and swag she won!


Rhonda Albom’s daughter had this exciting news:
I have been accepted into the AFS student exchange program! I will be going to Argentina for the 2016 year. One of several ways I am fundraising for my portion of expenses is by creating an online Zazzle store and selling some of my photography works on different products. I started Sarah Albom Photography a few days ago.

Interesting article at Tiny Tickle - Leeds and the World's First Science Fiction Convention. Arthur C. Clarke was one of the attendees.

New Releases!

Garden of Lost Souls: A Collection of Flash Fiction by Madeline Mora-Summonte 
Find it at Amazon and Goodreads


Tiamat's Nest by Ian S. Bott
Find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBookstore


Just Another Day in Purgatory by River Fairchild
Amazon. iBookstore, and Barnes and Noble

Re-release:
Oppression by Jessica Therrien


Movie Trivia Answers 

1 – Where is your drill sergeant, men? Blown up, Sir! – 1981- Stripes
2 – In Mexico, you know what they call Twinkies? Los submarions. – 2009 - Zombieland
3 – Wild Thing, you make my heart sing. You walk everything. – 1989 Major League
4 – Hey, get a room guys… Oh that’s not right! – 1999 Galaxy Quest
5 – I’m going to call her Lunch. Hello, Lunch, hello! Ew! Avoid the green ones-not ripe yet. – 1988 A Fish Called Wanda

September Movie Preview

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

4 –

The Transporter Refueled
In the south of France, former special-ops mercenary Frank Martin enters into a game of chess with a femme-fatale and her three sidekicks who are looking for revenge against a sinister Russian kingpin.
Director: Camille Delamarre
Stars: Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol, Ray Stevenson, Lenn Kudrjawizki
Now refueled with even fewer stars…



11 –

The Visit
A single mother finds that things in her family's life go very wrong after her two young children visit their grandparents.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Stars: Kathryn Hahn, Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan
It’s actually getting good buzz – it’s the director’s apology for the past four films.



18 –

Everest 
A climbing expedition on Mt. Everest is devastated by a severe snow storm.
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Stars: Elizabeth Debicki, Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley, Robin Wright
It looks good – I actually want to see this one.

Sicario
An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Jon Bernthal, Josh Brolin
Good buzz and could be another hit for Blunt.




25 –

Hotel Transylvania 2
Dracula and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson in order to keep Mavis from leaving the hotel.
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Stars: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Nick Offerman
Adam Sandler – insert your own suck joke here.




What are your writer insecurities today? Picking up any of the new releases? Get any of the trivia right? Which movies are you seeing in September? And who plans to enter the IWSG contest…?

196 comments:

Suzanne Furness said...

Wow that is a great competition. The theme is a little out of my genre . . . although I might be tempted to have a go!

Elephant's Child said...

The IWSG Short Story Contest 2015 sounds like an amazing opportunity. I hope you get lots and lots of quality entries. And am sure you will.
I have picked up Just Another Day in Purgatory - and am really looking forward to reading it.

Patsy said...

The competition sounds great!

Not sure I can come up with anything in that genre myself though!

Shah Wharton said...

I've almost finished with a ghostwriting story so may actually have a few weeks to offer to this competition, if a good enough idea inspires me. I always seem to be overcommitted when these opportunities crop up, so hurrah! Doesn't mean I'll get into the anthology of course.

Um, that'll be my insecurity right there! :)

Shah X

nashvillecats2 said...

What a great idea for an equally good group.
I wish I could enter but poetry it seems is all I can write.
I wish everyone who do enter the very best of luck.
Again Alex another good selection of films and books.
Have a good day,
Yvonne.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

4 years! Wow. Congratulations on such a great group and site!

Was that Zombieland quote a deliberate riff on the Pulp Fiction dialogue? I'd watched it, but hadn't picked up on the reference!

Wondering if Everest is fictional or based on a true story?

Donna K. Weaver said...

What a great idea to do the anthology. I hope you get a lot of good submissions for it. I really liked Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow, and my grandkids love the look of Hotel 2.

Cindy said...

I really like the theme and hope to come up with something in time. I'm not known for speed.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

I've got a lot on my plate already, but it might be fun to think of something for this anthology. Now if I can just finish a short story (ironically, the theme for my IWSG post today)...

Congrats to those with new releases!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - it does seem amazing that IWSG started 4 years ago, and two years since you progressed with the Website - clever ideas and so helpful for one and all. Good luck for all entrants .. and as they write and get creative.

The new books are interesting too - Ian's Tiamat, River's Another Day in Purgatory ... and Sarah going to Argentina on an exchange programme is just brilliant for her ..

Thanks Alex for all you do .. cheers Hilary

Lan said...

Darn! I suck at spec fic and am even worse at short stories! I'll just have to buy the book when it comes out and use it as research. What a fantastic opportunity for others though! Can't wait to see it come to life.

Just Keepin It Real, Folks! said...

The competition is an awesome idea. With all of the creative fiction writers out there, I'm sure you will receive a ton of great entries.

Michael Abayomi said...

Sweet! Speculative fiction is right up my alley. Quick question though: must our entries fall within the designated word count range? I mean, would I still be allowed to enter if my story is, say, 6,100 words long, or would I need to trim it down to the 6,000-word limit first?

Cathrina Constantine said...

Happy 4 Years!!! The Anthology sounds tempting! Congrats to all the new releases!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Congrats on 4 years. The contest sounds like a great opportunity. Sorry, I don't think I'll check out any of those movies. I haven't been very excited about the new releases lately.

Ann V Friend said...

Great news Alex! Wahoo, something to do! (smile) Blessings!

Cherie Colyer said...

What a great way to celebrate four years! I got a couple of the trivia questions right, and Hotel Transylvania 2 looks like it will be a fun movie.

Liza said...

Congrats to IWSG for creating yet another opportunity for writers! You and your team are all awesome, Alex!

Truedessa said...

Hmm - Great contest and I have to say the theme has piqued my interest. Could I do it? Polished? I would need someone to read it and help with editing I think.

Alex, it was so grand to receive the book and swag...if you could have seen the smile on my face when I opened it. So nice to have a personally autographed copy. A real treasure gem. Thank you!

I have been seeing previews for Everest and it looks to be quite the adventure. I wonder what makes people put their lives on the line to conquer the beast.

Have a great day!

Rhonda Albom said...

There seems to be some irony in the fact that I won't enter the Insecure Writers contest because I am too insecure about my own writing. Big thanks for the mention for my girl and her big year long adventure to Argentina.

H. R. Sinclair said...

Very cool! You promised a big announcement and you delivered!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Shah, give it a try - you never know!

Elizabeth, sounds like a play on Pulp Fiction to me. And Everest is based on a true story.

Cindy, I hope you can!

Sandra, bet you could write a great story for the anthology.

Michael, we'd need them to fall within the range. A couple words over would be all right though.

Truedessa, give it a try! And I think your smile beamed all the way to here.

Rhonda, you're welcome.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

I doubt if I enter the contest, but it's high time I joined the IWSG, even though I apparantly only write for myself. :) Good movies in my future, too.

Melissa said...

Wow! You guys have been working hard! That's a great idea and an impressive line-up of judges. Kudos, Fearless Leader!

Congrats to all the writers with new releases.
Off to check out those photos. :)

Michelle Wallace said...

Happy IWSG Anniversary Day, Alex!
Let the buzz begin!
Exciting times ahead!

Congrats to all those with new book releases!

Mark Koopmans said...

Tweeted! (And fyi, you can add the contest logo by changing the " - " to a " : "

Wow, that's a fantastic contest, and while it's not my genre (what is, I ask?!) I *do* have an idea that I thought would never be big enough for a novel.. but a short story contest... Oh yes!!


PS: Best wishes to the new releases and to Robin's daughter, Sarah. Sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I appreciate the eye of a great photographer.

Charles Gramlich said...

Cool. Sounds like a great contest.

Jennifer Lane said...

Oh! A Fish Called Wanda, of course. Love that movie. "Why did they name their daughter after a car?" ;-)

The short story contest sounds fun! Good luck to all entrants.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

The contest will be so much fun.

I thought the first Hotel Transylvania was cute.

Debra Renée Byrd said...

Wow, an anthology! That's cool.

Congrats, Robin's daughter. :)

River Fairchild said...

Thanks so much for the mention and congrats to the other new releases!

Has it really been four years? You've helped so many people, Alex, including me. Your encouragement toward others is awesome.

I'm really looking forward to Everest.

Kristin Smith said...

Wow, that sounds like an AWESOME anthology!!! I'm so excited! Now I just need some inspiration for a story...

Huge congrats to Madeline and her latest flash fiction release! Woot!

And I'm actually looking forward to seeing Hotel Transylvania 2. I'm always on the lookout for something I can watch with my kids! :)

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Yeh on the IWSG Anthology contest! Fun idea!

I'm going to have to see The Visit now just because of your comment, Alex - too funny. :)

And thanks so much for the shout-out about GARDEN OF LOST SOULS!

Jo said...

Wonderful competition. Makes me wish I were a writer.

Rachel Schieffelbein said...

Ooh, exciting news! And I can't believe it's been two years since the website was created. It feels like that just happened. Lol.

J.H. Moncrieff said...

Hello! I'm back from overseas with a new IWSG post...not sure my brain is, though.

The writing contest sounds really interesting. I'll enter if I think of a story with an alternate reality. That's something I haven't written about before.

Happy anniversary! I'd say your brainchild has been a huge success.

Nissa Annakindt said...

I love the idea of the anthology and hope you get lots of good submissions. If I wasn't a glacially slow writer, I'd write something and submit myself.

Currently I'm insecure about the fact that my writing was nearly at a standstill for two weeks because of stuff at my church. Our parish had two nuns come to do door-to-door evangelism and to teach us how to do it. I went out three times and got some good life experiences to use in my writing. But now I must get back in the swing of actually writing--- while not missing a meeting at church today, and getting some outdoor work done--- I must build a new chicken run this month and clean out the barn for new baby goats. AND comment on as many IWSG posts as I can....

Nissa
http://myantimatterlife.wordpress.com

Nicki Elson said...

Congrats to Robin's daughter! Her artwork is stunning. Hooray for all the Ninja writers, too. There's going to be some great stuff pouring in for the contest.

mshatch said...

Ooh! The Visit! I love M. Knight, even when he fails. And I love the IWSG short story contest! Maybe I can find some sort of idea rolling around in my brain...

Pat Garcia said...

Wonderful competition, Alex. I wish all participating writers the very best. May the best writer win. I look forward to reading the anthology.
Shalom,
Patricia

Sarah Foster said...

The anthology contest sounds awesome! I think I may have a few parallel universe ideas buried somewhere in my brain. I may just give this a shot.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I knew three of the trivia. My children watch Zombieland over and over again. I don't see any movies I'm excited about for September but I am excited about the short story contest!

Susan Says

Rachna Chhabria said...

What a super duper good news. Though the theme is out of my genre, I will surely give it a try, as well as Tweet about it. Thanks Alex for this amazing opportunity.

Andrew Leon said...

I'll have to see if I can work in some time for an extra short.

Jay Noel said...

This is a fantastic opportunity. I think in alternative dimension somewhere, I've found my writing mojo and I'm working feverishly on my short story submission.

Dean K Miller said...

Great contest opportunity and the insecurity in creating something along the theme of the anthology might get the best of me!

Unknown said...

I'll have to think about it. It sounds awesome.
I wrote my very first Support Group post today. I hope maybe it benefits someone!
http://teamnetherworldlovesyou.blogspot.com/

Christine Rains said...

The contest is awesome! I'm going to try to think of an idea for it. I'm excited to co-host today. I have my big cup of water and I'm comfy in my chair. Time to start visiting blogs! :)

Jennifer Hawes said...

The contest sounds wonderful! I don't know if I am able to write a short story. Usually they end up spiraling into a full-fledged novel. Hmm. Will have to give this some thought. And Happy 4 year anniversary!

Cherie Reich said...

The anthology is an awesome opportunity! Now to come up with an idea...

The Visit does look good and scary.

Fundy Blue said...

Hey, Alex! Checking in with the IWSG from the C Concourse at DIA! Awesome news! Here's hoping a lot of great short stories enter. I'll have to think about the genres because I haven't written something like that before! We'll see! Have a great day!

Nick Wilford said...

I blogged about deadlines as my insecurity today, but I'll definitely keep the one for this contest in mind! What an excellent theme. You're right, that's wide open.

Crystal Collier said...

Woot, woot! What a FUN contest! I'm definitely going to have to play. (Because I'd be crazy not to, right?)

Look at all those awesome releases! Now I have a couple authors to go pat on the back.

PK HREZO said...

What a fantastic contest!! Wow, I'll have to think about this one.
Great to see so much happening. Everest looks really nail-biting. Can't wait to see it at the IMAX!!

Tamara Narayan said...

I'd love to enter the contest, but I'm already committed to writing a short story for another venue due the same time. Bummer!

My kids are excited about Transylvania II, but I'm willing to give Shyamalan another shot. Everest sounds good too.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Teresa, please join us!

Mork, good to know. And give it a try.

Jennifer, great line!

River, you're welcome, and thank you.

Madeline, that's what I heard the movie is though - an apology. And you're welcome.

JH, I bet you can do it.

Nissa, that does sound like a unique experience.

Marcy, please do!

Sarah, submit something.

Rachna, write something - you might surprise yourself.

Jay, find it here and get to writing.

Illsa, welcome!

Everyone, please consider submitting!

Unknown said...

This sounds so awesome! It's not my usual genre, but I just might give it a go...

L.G. Keltner said...

I am definitely planning to enter the contest! Now I just need to come up with an idea. It's a good thing I have a cup of coffee and my trusty notebook at hand!

Pat Hatt said...

Contest sounds great indeed. The cat would have to stop himself from getting mouthy to make it fit 5k words haha but hmmmm

The transporter series just needs to die.

Unknown said...

That is big news about the anthology! Any chance we'll see a story from you in there?

Hart Johnson said...

I'm insecure that I can't seem to properly schedule *shifty* Ah well... up now. An the anthology sounds great! I've been thinking I should put some energy into short stories, so this is a good deadline to shoot for.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Very exciting about the contest. My insecurities for today are whether I can think of a short story. Best to you, Alex.

Heather M. Gardner said...

Alex!!!

Happy anniversary/birthday to the IWSG!
That is wonderful and I'm proud to be a part of it!
So cool that this group you created has come so far!

Look at all those new books! Congrats to all!

I'll wait for your movie reviews. :) Although the boy did like the first Transylvania movie.

Have a great day!

Heather

Murees Dupè said...

Congratulations to all those with new releases, and celebrating good news. The Visit and Everest sounds promising. I like M. Night Shyamalan films. Don't judge me:) Thank you so much for the opportunity to co-host. You were right, it is a lot of fun. I feel like a fairy spreading positive vibes. Have a great weekend Alex. You are awesome!

Chemist Ken said...

Get any of the trivia right? Just two: Stripes and Major League

Which movies are you seeing in September? Whichever ones my wife and family let me see :(

And who plans to enter the IWSG contest…? I'm not starting any more new stories until I finish my current one. And this time I'm sticking to it!

Nilanjana Bose said...

Wow! Congratulations on the fourth anniversary and a great site, and the contest is a super way to celebrate. Good luck to all contestants.

I will be looking out for both the Visit and Everest.

Holy Ghost Writer said...

Congrats on 4 years. A great contest also.

Sherry Ellis said...

Great contest! I wonder if I can write an entry in the MG/children's genre. Happy Anniversary to IWSG!

Joanne said...

I wish everyone good luck in the contest. Very exciting and I bet there are some great entries. I'm excited for the daughter headed to Argentina. Exchange student stuff is wonderful - I went to Sweden for a summer back in 1974. Many great memories. As far as movies - very excited for Everest. I always have hope for M.Night's movies but he's been off track for a long time. We shall see. Fall high hopes. Happy September, Alex!

Botanist said...

4 years of IWSG? What a movement you started there, Alex, and what a great way to celebrate the anniversary.

Arlee Bird said...

The anthology sounds like an exciting concept. I like the genre.

Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out

Chrys Fey said...

The anthology contest is a great idea! I don't think I'll be able to write a short story with that theme on top of my other projects, but I will look forward to reading what everyone else comes up with. :)

Tyrean Martinson said...

The competition sounds like fun, although I'm sure it will be fierce. 5,000-6.000 words is a length that I totally suck at writing, but I might give it a try. I like super short stories (flash, hint), novellas, and novels. That true short story length is tough.

I've picked up one of those releases already, and I'm not sure I'll see any movies in September. Although I didn't write about transitions for my IWSG post, that's what I'm in the midst of this month.

Mary Aalgaard said...

The book and writing contest are a great idea. Thanks, again, for all you do.
Mary

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Congratulations on pulling together such a big, exciting project. No erotica, huh? Drats. That rules me out. Smiles.

I'm excited for Rhonda's daughter, Sarah. My sister did AFS and went to South Africa when she was a high schooler. Amazing experience. I'm glad that organization is still around.

Cheers to you, Alex.

Birgit said...

What a beautiful way to help people get their writing mojo working. I think this is great and such a wonderful thing to do. These films actually look interesting (except Transporter). I just saw the movie trailer for that Invited film about the grandparents-freaked me out just seeing the ads. The other films look quite good. Let's see how it will be. Oh and I got 2 right on the movie quiz.

Mina Burrows said...

Cool contest & fantastic concept. Looking forward to it.

Congrats to Jessica!

I'm not interested in the Transporter. I saw their previews on the Fear of the Walking Dead episodes and wasn't impressed. And I also saw The Visit clips and look very cool.

Unknown said...

That contest sounds like a good opportunity for writers to have their work looked at by some important people. Looks like one I would like to buy when it is published as I like the themes.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

What a contest, and it is right in my genre, too. I never do well in contests. But that never stops me from entering them. Suffering builds character you know.

Anne is right: it is a good opportunity to have your work looked at by important people.

The movies don't "move" this month. :-) Have fun with this contest.

Anonymous said...

The contest sounds exciting. Hmmm... I'll have to do some thinking. Congrats to Sarah Albom and all the new releases! A Fish Called Wanda — I completely forgot about that movie. I've seen ads for The Visit. It looks creepy. My kids will want to see Transylvania 2. Have a great week!

D.G. Hudson said...

A great idea, Alex! I wish all the entrants good luck! I'm not a member of the IWSG but it is a worthy group, and I do read the posts by a lot of the participants. This is an excellent opportunity and it doesn't surprise me that you are championing it. PS-Sorry I have been an infrequent visitor this summer due to moving and looking after hubs as he continues to recover from his illness last year.

Anonymous said...

I will be writing something for the anthology :)

Dang, I'm pretty sure I voted for Testament, oh well!

Congrats to Rhonda Albom's daughter! It sounds like a really cool opportunity!

Once I have the money for it, I'm definitely picking up Garden of Lost Souls and Tiamat's Nest. I've seen them posted around the blogosphere and they've piqued my interest.

Well, the one thing I guessed I got right, haha!

Not a very good movie month, is it? :/ I, of course, will go see Hotel Transylvania 2 with my kid and big kid. My Other has been saying he wants to see it for months now haha

- Madilyn Quinn @ NovelBrews

Yolanda Renée said...

Wonderful way to celebrate an Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!
Will give it some thought, for sure!

Too many movies - so little time! :)
Busy writing, right!

Empty Nest Insider said...

Happy 4th Anniversary, Alex! The anthology sounds like a wonderful idea! Congrats to Sarah Albom, and to all the authors on their new releases! Thanks for all you do, Alex!

Julie

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

LG, this contest is right up your alley.

Melanie, sorry - admins not allowed to contribute.

Hart, go for it.

Heather! Glad you are a part of it. And the first movie was all right.

Murees, knew you would enjoy it.

Ken, that made me chuckle.

Sherry, yes you can!

Joanne, Sweden sounds like a real adventure.

Tyrean, I've read your collection of short stories - you need to enter.

Roland, you are an awesome writer - enter it!

Hope everyone can enter the contest!

Charity Bradford said...

Sweet! I'm excited about the contest, but I'm so swamped with other things right now I probably won't get a chance to write anything for it. Good luck to all those who do!

Unknown said...

The short story contest sounds like an amazing opportunity! I'd like to enter...as long as I can develop an intriguing idea over the coming weeks.

I'm interested in seeing The Visit. I think M. Night Shyamalan redeemed himself with Wayward Pines.

randi lee said...

Alex, you're so cool. That anthology idea is brilliant--and you know I'll be entering something for the competition festivities!!!

C.D. Gallant-King said...

Hey, a writing contest that I actually have an appropriate story for, for once!

IWSG September Post

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Awesome news about the writing contest! Good luck to all who enter it!

I'm torn about wanting to see Everest. I read Into Thin Air, and I'm kind of interested in seeing what they do with the movie. But I know I'll cry like heck.

My 15 year old (difficult) daughter read the book as part of her summer reading. Here are snippets from successive conversations.

June -
Me: How do you like Into Thin Air? I really thought it was --
Her: I hate it.

July -
Me: They're making a movie about that Everest expedition. I suppose you don't want to see it, since you hated --
Her: Who says I don't want to see the movie? The book was very interesting.

August -
Me: Hey, the Everest movie comes out next month. Do you want to --
Her: NO.

That is the point where I had a clear picture in my head of Homer Simpson strangling Bart.

Gail said...

Read Trudessa's wonderful poem. So wonderful she won.

I have the insecure part down pat but not a member. Good luck to all who enter.

The Visit keeps calling my name. I may have to go see that.

A Beer for the Shower said...

Congrats on the anniversary and cheers to a very cool contest! A book full of professionally judged and edited speculative fiction stories sounds like a damn good time. Looking forward to it.

N. R. Williams said...

Hi Alex
The anthology sounds interesting. I'll get right on it.
Nancy

Robin said...

First, I want to say "ditto" to everything ABFTS said since he just stole my comment;)

Second, when did Adam Sandler movies start sucking so bad??? I remember liking Big Daddy and 50 First Dates. I guess it was after that...

Jen said...

Hi Alex!!

So happy to be back :) Thanks for the comment on my blog yesterday. It was a great reminder of the wonderful community that's here in blogworld!

Love the idea for the contest! I hope to be able to have something to submit. Wonderful theme!

Hotel Transylvania 2 could be good if it's a cute as the first one. But I hold out little hope for sequels as a rule. The Visit, however, is definitely on my radar. It looks pretty chilling.

Cheers,
Jen

cleemckenzie said...

The buzz is loud and clear! Congrats, Alex. And congrats to the IWSG team.

The Happy Whisk said...

Good luck and have fun, to all who enter.

ELAdams said...

Fantastic idea for a contest! I love spec fic with alternative universes, but I have difficulty with short stories (for some reason, they take me far longer than novels do!). But I'll enter if I come up with a workable idea! :)

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

Wow, that's quite an undertaking for the IWSG. Congratulations on how this endeavor has grown and benefited so many!

Wish I wrote SciFi!

Anonymous said...

~Congratulations on the anniversary!! :D Oooo I wanna watch The Visit! I didn`t even know M.Night Shyamalan made a new movie! I`m a fan of his, but I do have to agree about the last few movies :( Sicario`s movie cover looks so cooolll x.x
Um, alsooo, I was wondering- I would like to take part in the writing competition. Are LGBT stories allowed in the competition? :)

Lisa said...

Oh boy. Don't know if I can write a speculative fiction story, much less a short one! I will ponder.... I might go see The Visit to see if MNS had got his groove back, and Sicario because I LOVE Emily Blunt. Finally, I've made it back to blogging!! Sorry I forgot to mention the surprise on my site. I went back and changed that.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Charity, wish you could!

Michael, go for it.

Randi Lee, awesome!

CD, cool!

Dianne, that would drive me nuts.

Brandon and Bryan, you should enter!

Nancy, cool.

Robin, it was sometime after that. And a little before.

Jen, I hope you do have something to submit.

Emma, hope you can.

Axe, I'll have to check with the other admins.

Unknown said...

That's a cool idea about the IWSG anthology and a great opportunity for short story writers!

Congrats to River, Madeline, Ian, and Jessica on their new releases!

I liked the first Hotel Transylvania. I hope #2 is good. Have a great week, Alex!

Gwen Gardner said...

I love the contest anthology idea! Hmmm, I wonder if I have time to write a story...

Thanks for all you do for our community, Alex.

Congrats to all the new releases!

Ryan Carty said...

I'm excited for the contest! I will nervously enter and then fret and worry for the rest of the year. It sounds like so much fun.

S. L. Hennessy said...

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the IWSG, the best and most supportive group in the writing blog-o-sphere!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

I'm not overly good at short stories, but I'm trying to think something up!

Stripes. One of my favorite movies. Well, all the way up to the place where they go to Europe. I thought that was a little hokey. But the first half- totally awesome.

The Angry Lurker said...

Sicario sounds like something I would like.

Luanne G. Smith said...

Very cool news about the contest. Impressive judges, too. :)

dolorah said...

My insecurity is: will I meet the anthology deadline, lol. This is awesome.

I think I watched all of your trivia movies. Boy, remember when Bill Murry used to be funny? I'm hoping The Visit is a scary one. The commercials look good.

Have a good week Alex.

Carrie-Anne said...

That's a great contest opportunity for those who write in that genre! I shared it with my local writers' group.

My mother might be interested in Everest, since she loves reading books about expeditions to Everest and Antarctica. I used to really like Adam Sandler, but his movies from recent years seem like a big step back from the more mature direction he looked like he'd been headed in.

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

The contest sounds like fun. Wish I wrote in that genre but have no idea where to begin. Best of luck to everyone that enters. Looking forward to reading the stories.
Congratulations to the authors with the new books.

Anonymous said...

Hi Alex! Long time no see.

Wow, that is a great contest you guys are hosting. I'm sure you'll get so many fantastic entries, it will be so hard for you guys to narrow them all down.

Ah, Zombieland, one of the best comedy zombie movies around. Not as good as Shaun of the Dead, but pretty close.

Take care!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Lisa, thanks!

Lexa, hope you can send something in.

Gwen, you do!

Ryan, no worries. Just enter!

Thanks, Lauren.

Elizabeth, you have to!

Donna, yeah, he used to be funny.

Carrie-Anne, thanks.

Elsie! Good to hear from you.

Unknown said...

Apologies for signing up and not posting - my blog was having issues and I just go them solved today. Will try again - next time. Not loving technology at the moment.

SpacerGuy said...

Okay Alex, you've got me convinced to enter a short sci-fi story. At least now I'll be qualified to join the IWSG! My space epic may not meet all the critera but I will try and enter it. I hope I don't bail. Goodluck to everyone, heres to the finest confederacy of Ninjas in the galaxy!

Julie Flanders said...

I've got to start trying to think of a story for this contest. Such an amazing opportunity!
I've had fun co-hosting today. So many great people in this group.

Stephen Tremp said...

the contest sounds like a real winner. Love the small word count. I'm actually looking forward to Hotel Transylvania. the first one was pretty good and it was fun to take the kids to.

Jemi Fraser said...

I'm so bad at the trivia!!!! Always :)
Love the anthology idea - it'll be epic!

Sharon Himsl said...

The short story competition sounds great. I wish everyone the best of success.

J E Oneil said...

That sounds so cool! I do love speculative fiction, but the one thing I'm worst at is brevity. I'll see if I can think up something short enough because this is too good to miss :).

J.L. Campbell said...

Congrats to those with new books on the market.
Yes, that contest will be awesome!

Stephanie Faris said...

How exciting! I'll be cheering everyone on!!! Congratulations on four years. That's awesome.

M Pax said...

Congrats on four years and the new book! I'm busy finishing a novel, so won't be able to participate.

Raquel Byrnes said...

What a super cool idea for a contest! I can't wait to see how it turns out. The new releases this month are looking so good. Now that I have some time I may pick one up. :)

Edge of Your Seat Stories

shelly said...

Hi, Alex! Ashamed to say I 've been a slacker with MY ISWG POSTS. I will probably sign up my secondhand shoes blog and do them there.

Carrie Butler said...

Guess who finally has her first IWSG post under her belt? :)

Cool news about the anthology!

Anonymous said...

Stopping in to say hello- just joined IWSG and published my first post. Looking forward to continuing with the group!

Best,
Alex

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Victoria, I'm sorry!

Spacerguy, awesome!!!!

Julie, thanks for co-hosting.

JE, hope you can.

Carrie, awesome!

Alex, welcome.

stephen Hayes said...

I've never written anything with this theme, but you've got me seriously thinking about it.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

The short story contest sounds intriguing. Congrats to all the authors and the darling daughter raising money through photography. Hotel Transylvania was actually really good so I plan to see the sequel in theatres. The movie I really want to see this month is Black Mass. Hopefully this is the movie Depp really shines in. T. Refueled can just keep on driving, no. Have a great day Alex and congrats on four years of IWSG.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

Congratulations on four strong years. The short story anthology sounds interesting.

Melissa Sugar said...

It's hard to believe that four years have gone by. I started blogging just days before the first ever IWSG, which was a really great way for me to make instant blogging friends. The competition sounds great, but I don't know if I can write anything in that genre. Thanks for creating such a fabulous group.

Sandra Cox said...

Ooh, ooh, I'm so excited about the contest. It must be a mind meld thing because I've been wanting to do an alternate universe story for a long time. And....you've got some heavy hitting judges. Obviously, there have been some folks working long and hard to pull this together. We Insecure Members thank you.

Toi Thomas said...

I'm very excited about the anthology opportunity. You guys rock!
The movie I'm interested in is he Visit, though Sicario could be good.
I'm very insecure right now about taking on too much, but I gotta do what I gotta do.

Donna McDine said...

Awesome contest! Thanks for offering it! I'm looking forward to seeing The Visit. I'm always up for a good scary movie!

Anonymous said...

I love the contest idea, Ninja! Not really my genres though, but I'm still gonna give it a shot. How bad can I really suck at writing? Don't answer that. :D I might actually go see The Visit. Thanks for always being there, and I <3 you, brother. Eva

Anonymous said...

The contest is an amazing surprise. I did not expect it. I usually end up buying many bloggers' books. I don't know if I'll see any movies this month. I'm so busy with the day job.

Shannon Lawrence said...

Congratulations to everyone on all those new releases (and the re-release)! The contest sounds fun. Hm, thinking cap.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

They need to put the Transporter to rest ;)
And yay for the contest!

Anonymous said...

The anthology is going to be awesome. I can't wait. Not sure I'll try to submit something. Brain's drawing a blank and I'm going back to work at the day job soon, so my paid vacation writing time is coming to a close.

Cathy Keaton said...

Cool contest! It might be worth trying to write it for the experience. Writing really short stories is tough, but could be good practice. ;)

Shell Flower said...

That is a pretty exciting contest with some excellent judges. I do have some stories in this genre, so I might just enter. And I agree that Everest looks pretty interesting. I'm excited for Ian's new release. Definitely going to read that one.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Stephen, go for it!

Melissa, that's cool.

Sandra, please submit something.

Shannon, give it a try!

Shell, please do!

Liz A. said...

One of these months I'm going to join the IWSG. I'll look forward to reading the anthology when you all get it finished.

kimlajevardi.com said...

Congrats on four years! WOW on the anthology!

SC Author said...

Hotel Transylvania 2! I saw part of the first one and loved it, excited to see this one.

Kathryn Thornton said...

I love the anthology idea. I am sure you will get a lot of great entries. I look forward to reading them when they are published.

Love Galaxy Quest, sadly so few people found that great movie. Same for the movie The Ref.

EEGiorgi said...

ooohhh, this is SO cool! what a fantastic way to celebrate four years! :-)

Unknown said...

Neat! Good luck to everyone in the short story competition. And I love the Garden of Lost Souls cover :)

Cherdo said...

Just today, I saw an advertisement for the Everest movie - I gotta see that one.

Helena said...

What a great competition with some impressive judges! I won't be entering, but no doubt the winning stories will be awesome.

I still haven't seen Jurassic World, so that's my September movie. I'm looking forward to Spielberg's Bridge of Spies (in November?)--looks like an intelligent grown-up movie.

LuAnn @ BackPorchervations said...

Such a fun idea for an anthology! All sorts of weird 'out-there' things started cropping up in my head after that. :O)

And I'm looking at my trivia performance from last month as a sort of 'fortuitous alignment of the stars' occurrence, because I know THAT'S never going to happen again! *lol* Which is really ok, because I can dine on that success for a long time. :O)

Nicola said...

Thanks for the heads up on the competition, Alex. Completely out of my comfort zone but why not? A new challenge. Have a great week!

Zan Marie said...

If I weren't in a huge Next Level workshop, I'd try the contest. Oh, well, too many projects spreads the words thin. Thanks for dropping into the Shade today!

ediFanoB said...

Congratulations!

What an excellent competition.
I look forward to the final result.

The cover of Tiamat's Nest by Ian S. Bott aroused my interest and I spent some time to get more information about the book from different sources. I found the shortest description on the author's site:
"The virtual world comes alive and reaches out into the real world with deadly results. University professor and devout technophobe, Charles Hawthorne, confronts technology full on to end the hidden threat to humanity."

My wife is highly interested in the EVEREST movie. It seems the film is based on "INTO THIN AIR" by Jon Krakauer which she read and liked a lot.

Denise Covey said...

What great news of Sarah Ablom's daughter. I wouldn't go up against people who write speculative fiction all the time. Out of the range of many IWSGers I'd say. A shame there aren't more genres on offer. But great for those it is aimed at.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Liz, please join us!

Kat, The Ref is a hilarious film.

EE, hope you can submit something.

Helena, did you see Mad Max Fury Road? Much better film. And it just came out on video.

LuAnn, maybe the next category will be more your style.

Nicola, try it!

Edi, I'm looking forward to seeing Everest.

Denise, sorry if it was too restrictive.

Anonymous said...

Great sounding competition. Now to dream up a short story not in my current speculative universe.

kaykuala said...

Wonderful to have a competition. Checked out the genre with Wiki. Not within Hank's inclination though.

Hank

Sean McLachlan said...

Congratulations on your fourth anniversary!

Sandra Cox said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sandra Cox said...

Congrats to all the awesome authors with releases.

I want to see Everest too....I think. I'm trusting they all made it down....

Loni Townsend said...

Happy (Belated) Birthday IWSG! That's awesome. :) And that contest sounds really cool. You guys are amazing for hosting it.

Unknown said...

YAY! Cheer to IWSG on their big "4"! A fabulous way to celebrate, I might add--sounds right up my speculative alley. Will spread the word! Congrats to all the new releases *will be picking up a copy of River's Purgatory tale*! If Shyamalan's latest isn't a hit, he'll be officially banned from Hollywood. Everest is the very definition of devastation via severe snow--why people insist on going there is the real mystery.

To Encourage and Inspire

Unknown said...

lol I always post a comment on the last blog by mistake...this is such AWESOME news, and such an amazing opportunity!!

DL Hammons said...

Now that's what I call a CONTEST! Unfortunately its outside my genre, which by itself wouldn't be reason to not give it a go, but I'm also hot and heavy into a new project and can't really spare the time. Best of luck to everybody though! :)

Susan Kane said...

Looking forward to Everest. Knew nothing about the Visit, but am ready for something good from this director.

Anonymous said...

~Okie thankies!! LGBT is quite a popular topic today :)

Diane Burton said...

Congrats on 4 years. Did you ever think the idea would take off so? Thanks for helping all of us.

Best wishes,
Diane IWSG #95

Patricia Stoltey said...

I'm interested in seeing Everest, especially because one of the climber's who was above the base camp when the recent earthquake hit lives here in Northern Colorado. Jim Davidson previously survived a fall into a crevasse at Mount Renier and wrote "The Ledge" about that experience. These mountaineers are a strange breed of adventurer, and I expect the movie Everest will be fascinating (especially for someone who prefers to be an armchair mountain climber instead of a real one).

Good luck to everyone who participates in the anthology project. I'll be looking forward to the excellent read.

Bushman said...

I am definitely seeing Everest. I am a huge fan of anything Everest. Why? Hell if I know. I just love adventure and it doesn't get much more adventurous than that I supppose.

emaginette said...

I love the contest idea. I'm dying to read the best of the best.

Anna from Elements of Writing

Cynthia said...

I'm working on another project now and don't have time to enter the IWSG contest.But the anthology sounds like a super cool idea.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Super excited about the anthology! And yes, I'm seriously insecure about writing/querying this week. :(

Mason T. Matchak said...

I'll definitely think about the contest - never much been one for alternate history/parallel universe, but who knows, something might worm its way out of my head for this. ^_^

And it's awesome that IWSG has been around for so long. I don't even remember when I joined up, but I needed it this month, and I'm so glad it's a thing.

Leslie S. Rose said...

Whoo hoo for the anthology. Long live the speculative short story!

Blue Grumpster said...

Stripes... Such a great movie. Those were the days, Alex!

Truedessa rocks. Now, excuse me while I go and prove I'm not a robot (but something far worse).

Blue Grumpster said...

Adam Sandler... Imagine if he were in a reboot of Stripes... Ouch!

Jean Katherine Baldridge said...

I want to see Everest too! I am all about climbing stuff!
Have a great Labor Day weekend, Alex!
jean

Ellie Garratt said...

That's one awesome competition! I'm sure you'll get some amazing entries.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Samantha, this contest is perfect for you.

DL, thanks for helping me find judges.

Diane, I had no idea...

Patricia, maybe they have a death wish?

Mason, that's why I started it.

Blue, the horror!

klahanie said...

Hi human, Alex,

Pawesome contest, my fine human friend!

I don't have any writing insecurities. Writing is, for me and when my human actually writes, is a bit of interactive therapy.

Pawsitive wishes,

Penny

John Wiswell said...

Good luck with the contest! I hope everyone enjoys participating.

And The Visit looks surprisingly fun, especially for that director.

DMS said...

What a fantastic contest! Such fun and a great opportunity. Thanks for sharing. :)
~Jess

Elizabeth said...

That is some exciting news! I've been thinking about it and I have some ideas coming together, so if I can get something written in time, I will be entering :)

Belle Wong said...

November 1 deadline ... adding this to my calendar!

Leovi said...

Wonderful story contest, I wish you success!
Limbo Delirium
Black & White Abstracts

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Penny! You are also an awesome writer.

Jess, join either IWSG and enter!

Elizabeth, please do.

Belle, be great if you entered.

Anonymous said...

That contest looks fun -- to the victors go the spoils! Can anything good come from Shyamalan? Used to be a big fan a l-o-n-g time ago.

Anonymous said...

Good luck to all who enter the contest. Everest sounds intense, and like an intriguing movie to watch.

Intangible Hearts said...

I'm too insecure for an insecure writer's group but congrats on the contest and everything you do! I did just win third place in the Pnp Author's writing contest and it's a first for me!

Kathe W. said...

oh boy! The Visit is on my list now!

XmasDolly said...

You probably don't read all your comments, so maybe I'm safe you won't read this and hold me to my thoughts. I'm thinking on entering your contest, and maybe write a short story. I don't know if I have it in me, but I'd like to see if I do. I don't know I'll have to think about it. I wrote a book, but never had it published do to a request not to as of yet, but I recently had the go ahead. I write from real life experience. So writing something that's not true is a new experience for me, but I'd like to give it a go. I don't know I'll have to think about it. Thank you for stopping by I truly feel privileged when you do. Thank you so much!!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Marie, please enter! I bet you can do it. It will make you stretch and that's good.

Deniz Bevan said...

So excited for this contest and anthology, such a great idea!