Most of the time, remakes just leave something to be desired. I cringe whenever I hear someone say they want to remake The Princess Bride or Gone With the Wind.
Example of a bad remake:
They should have left well enough alone.
On the other hand, sometimes they get it right.
The original was a great movie.
But I found this to be a hilarious updated version.
It's hard to believe that even this one is nearly 20 years old now.
How about you? What're your favorite and least favorite movie remakes?
I've got a special guest today--Colby Marshall. Her debut novel, Chain of Command, is an exciting political thriller. Here's Colby:
Have you ever noticed that sometimes, the people who love books the most and devour them faster than a cat can down a bowl of gravy…oh, wait. That’s only my cat? Sorry about that. Backtracking. Have you ever noticed that often those who can and will zip through several books a month or even a week are—gasp—the people who don’t want to buy books?
Yes, I’m talking about the new trend of cheap or free books. These days, it’s a controversial issue. While some authors claim they’ll never give away a book for free, many people both in the industry and out profess that you simply can’t afford not to give away free e-books today. It’s hard to know what the answer to the dilemma is, however. It’s understandable for writers to want to be paid for their work, and it’s vital to the book industry that money continue to flow into it for the books readers read. After all, the bigger the free e-book industry booms, it seems, the further the brick and mortar stores and paper books fall. I don’t think anyone wants to see paper books go away, and neither do they want to no longer be able to browse their favorite bookstore and smell the fresh pages of a print book.
That said, free and cheap e-books may be here to stay, so what is the answer to this conundrum? While I can’t speak for the industry and what they should do to help bridge the gaps created by the new trends in publishing, what I can tell you is the best way to “pay” for a book you got free: review it.
Whether you loved it, hated it, or somewhere in between, if you don’t have the cash to shell out for a paper copy of a book to support authors, the single best thing you can do to help the industry stay objective, legitimate, and respected AS WELL AS to support the author you’ve read is to post a review to the website you downloaded the book from. It can be as long as a page or as short as a sentence, but every review matters. And if you think you won’t be supporting the author by reviewing it because you think it stunk, think again. Every review a book garners helps boost its viewership on the website on which it’s listed. Plus, many potential readers skip straight to the negative reviews to see the book’s pitfalls. Often, pitfalls can be as intriguing to a consumer as brilliance!
So, the next time you download that free book to your Kindle, remember to thank the author for the months or years they spent readying the book to entertain you by taking a couple of minutes to say you read their work and what you thought. Believe me—they’ll be grateful.
About CHAIN OF COMMAND:
The road to the Oval Office is paved in blood...
The simultaneous assassinations of the President and Vice President catapults the Speaker of the House into the White House as the first female President of the United States. Evidence points to a former Navy SEAL as one of the assassins.
Relegated to writing sidebar stories instead of headlines, journalist McKenzie McClendon composes a scathing story about the Navy training killers.
Former Navy SEAL Noah Hutchins doesn't believe his partner could have committed the heinous crime. They'd endured the horrors of Afghanistan together. His buddy was a hero, not a murderer.
No one who knows the truth is safe...
Thrown together in a search for the truth--and a career-making story--McKenzie and Noah must unravel a dangerous web of lies that includes a radical foreign faction, a violent ultra-feminist group, and corrupt politicians willing to kill to keep their secrets.
And an assassin who is still on the loose.
His next targets are already in his crosshairs...
Warning for those looking for a "clean" read--
this book has a little steam to the romance and lots of things blowing up.
BIO: Writer by day, ballroom dancer and choreographer by night, Colby has a tendency to turn every hobby she has into a job, thus ensuring that she is a perpetual workaholic. In addition to her 9,502 regular jobs, she is also a contributing columnist for M Food and Culture magazine and is a proud member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. She is actively involved in local theatres as a choreographer as well as sometimes indulges her prima donna side by taking the stage as an actress. She lives in Georgia with her family, two mutts, and an array of cats that, if she were a bit older, would qualify her immediately for crazy cat lady status. Her debut thriller, Chain of Command is about a reporter who discovers the simultaneous assassinations of the President and Vice President may have been a plot to rocket the very first woman—the Speaker of the House—into the presidency. Chain of Command is now available, and the second book in her McKenzie McClendon series, The Trade, is due for publication by Stairway Press June 11, 2013.
I've been a follower of Tara's blog for a while now and been fascinated by the little snippets she's let out over time, so I'm thrilled that she's so close to launching this story out in the world.
I'm excited today to be part of the cover reveal of Pop Travel. Private Investigator J. L. Cooper always knew pop travel laser teleportation was too good to be true. Finding video proof of a disintegrating traveler is the stomach turning “I told you so.” Cooper can’t broadcast the video on the nosy, government monitored Qnet, so he digs around, revealing more suspicious traveler disappearances, the death of his client, and threats to his political little brother, who is in jeopardy of turning to dust anyway for disregarding Cooper’s warnings not to pop. Cooper has to do everything himself. To stop the disappearances and save his brother he must shut down the ruthless mega corp Pop Travel International (PTI). And that means convincing Hasan Rakhi, the celebrity Creator of pop travel, to publicly admit the deadly flaw. No problem. Under constant surveillance, Cooper will have to be unpredictable, facing his fear of popping to crash a party at Hasan’s well-fortified plantation compound. Yes, the laser fences are real. As long as he survives his next pop, Cooper won’t let anything distract him from getting the job done. Not the android security guards, who aren’t as bright as they look, or even Southern Comfort in a purple dress, Geri Harper (an undercover Agent). Nothing Coop can’t handle.
Release Date: July 7, 2013
Publisher: Curiosity Quills
About Tara:
Math teacher by day, sports mom by night,
When does she have time to write?
Good question, but the Lazy Housewife makes time! Tara Tyler writes sci fi, thriller, and fantasy, with dabs of romance and humor and tips for efficient living. Something for everyone.
Literature and film have touched on interesting ways to quickly get from one place (or time) to another. There's apparting in Harry Potter. There's the fax-like transportation through time in Crichton's Timeline. And, of course, there's the transporter in Star Trek. The cartoon below is from a 1967 edition of Mad Magazine which did a spoof of classic Star Trek.
But it does address some problems inherent with travel of this kind. What do you think of it. Cool? Crazy? Would you do it?
Between my day job and my night job--yeah, that one that's bearing fruit on June 1st--I'm being swallowed by crazy.
And it's taking it's toll on my shoulder muscles which, in turn, are giving the tendons at my elbows fits.
I do a lot of computer mouse work, but I try to take some of the pressure off. I use my left hand for the mouse at work and my right hand for my mouse at home.
But, still. I'm pretty independent (which makes hubby nuts), and I won't always let him help me (even more nuts).
So, I want to do a big shout out to my hubby.
He's such a wonder man. Biggest heart ever. He'd give you the shirt off his back.
So, so supportive of my writing efforts.
Handyman extraordinaire
Retired massage therapist
Yes, you read that last one right. And as soon as I mentioned having trouble with my elbows (I had to go through physical therapy from "tennis elbow" a few years ago and it's still a bit of an ongoing problem), hubby knew what to do.
He had me on his table this morning before work, working on my hard-as-a-rock, knotted neck and shoulder muscles. Ouch. But it was an even bigger ouch for him because he's got arthritis (and Fibromyalgia). See what I mean?
So, thanks, honey.
What about you? How is your support group? What kinds of things do you have or wish you had in this area?
I have a special guest today, the freakin' awesome Cassie Mae. She has the most delightful sense of humor. Ever. Go to her blog and follow her. You won't be disappointed.
Here's Cassie Mae:
Let's all dance together!
I'm super thrilled to show you all my cover for my New Adult debut, FRIDAY NIGHT ALIBI, published by Random House Flirt. It comes out on July 29th, but you can buy it now! And it'll just zap onto your ereader the day it's released.
Wanna know what it's about? Well, it's about this pig who learns how to fly, but only on friday nights and he grants wishes to people who are not where they're supposed to be, to get them out of a bind. You know I'm totally joking. I just wanted to see how many people just skipped over all these words to get to the pretty cover, lol. You mention the pig in the comments and you get cyber gold stars.
Here's the blurb :D
Rising star Cassie Mae introduces New Adult readers to a practical soon-to-be college freshman who seems to have everything—until a special guy shows her what she’s been missing.
In the wealthy town of Sundale, Kelli Pinkins has hatched the perfect plan to capitalize on her sweet reputation. For a generous fee, she will be every trust-fund baby’s dream: a Friday-night alibi, the “girlfriend” or “BFF” that parents dream about. With college approaching in the fall, Kelli’s services are in demand more than ever, which means that her social life is nonexistent. But Kelli is A-okay with that. She’s raking in cash for school. Besides, relationships are tricky, and sometimes very messy. She’d rather be at home on Xbox LIVE, anyway. Then the unexpected happens: She meets college stud Chase Maroney.
Chase isn’t like the preppy, privileged guys Kelli usually meets in Sundale. For starters, he’s twentysomething, always wears black, and he shoots back one-liners as fast as she can dish them out. But Kelli’s attempts to drive Chase away falter when she realizes that he treats her like he really knows her, like he cares about knowing her. When Kelli finally gives in to the delicious kiss she’s been fighting for so long, she faces a tough decision: make Chase a real-life boyfriend and risk her heart . . . or keep her clients and lose her first true love.
Advance praise for Friday Night Alibi
“Totally entertaining with as many swoon-worthy moments as hilarious ones, Friday Night Alibi is a must-read.”—Jolene Perry, co-author of Out of Play
“A fun, funny, and fantastic story, this is one you will read in a day, and pick up to re-read again the next.”—Kelley Lynn, author of Fraction of Stone
Oh, and stuff about me too.
Cassie Mae is a nerd to the core from Utah, who likes to write about other nerds who find love. Her angel children and perfect husband fan her and feed her grapes while she clacks away on the keyboard. Then she wakes up from that dream world and manages to get a few words on the computer while the house explodes around her. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.
And now the pretty!
You can buy this book HERE, and it takes you to all the places it's available. Yay! My first published book with MY NAME ON IT! Squee!!!
I confess that when I saw my own cover for A Change of Plans, I had to smile because it reminded me of the covers for this series, which I think totally rock. And doesn't the book sound delicious? I so enjoyed the first two books of this series and can't wait to read this one! Natasha Roth and her older brother, Arthur, have removed the magical darkness that had fallen over the land of Logres. But all actions have consequences. Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, is now a sworn enemy. Natasha realises that the only way the land of Logres will truly be at peace is if the sorceress is removed forever. So with her beloved Sir Bedivere, the feisty Guinevere, and a trusty brethren of knights, Natasha plots to free Logres from the malevolence of Nimue once and for all. Yet Arthur also has problems. Now a father to Mila, he starts to witness a terrifying change over his girlfriend, Samantha, as she struggles to contain the awakened powers of Morgana. With dark magic coming at them from all sides, Natasha and Arthur decide to make use of the Falls of Merlin: a mystical landscape of waterfalls that connects 21st century England with the mystical world they fell into. A place that does not exist in the future. And by the end, they will know why. As Natasha finally discovers the truth about her past link to Logres a tragedy will strike at her very heart. Can Arthur get his young family back to the 21st century and still continue to be the king that Logres demands he be? What is the secret that Sir Gareth has been hiding all this time? And who is the true owner of Excalibur?
THE SPIRIT OF NIMUE is released on Amazon on the 31 May 2013.
It is the final book in THE RETURN TO CAMELOT trilogy.
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Book Launches
A month from today, my debut novel, A Change of Plans, will be born. A month and a week from today, and I'll be participating in my first book launch. Can I say one word?
Scary!
The awesome Jordan McCollum (you can read about her book--I, Spy--in my post here) and I are teaming up together for our launch. I'm so glad I'm not doing this alone. My biggest worry has always been that I'd have a launch--and no one would come.
I guess in a couple of months I can address whether or not my worries were justified. How about you? Do you worry about this, too?
