Ninja Captain Alex's Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest

I didn't sign up earlier because my life's been a bit on hold. Since the edits haven't come in yet and I'm off work today, I decided to hop on board.

I don't think I could pick my favorites of all time, so I'm going to go with my favorites at this moment. Many of them would probably still be on the list, but there are others that could be nudged out (for the moment) by others.

These are in no particular order.

No comments necessary

I'm a Trekker (not a Trekkie) and have been since I first laid eyes on the classic series when it was still being broadcast. When this film came out, I saw it six times in the theater--and I grinned all the way through the film all six times.

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, and I loved this movie. It was out the same time Star Trek was, and I was dismayed to find I'd seen ST six times and HBP only five. I immediately went to the dollar flicks and watched it again.

Any surprise that a spoof on Star Trek would catch my attention? LOVE this movie. So quotable and I still laugh.

I'd always meant to read the trilogy but didn't until Fellowship came out (saw that one in the theater six times, too--thank heavens for the dollar movies). And the extended edition is the only version worth your money.

I remember stopping by a neighbor's house while she was flipping through channels. They came to this and I ahhhed. They said it looked stupid and I said it was awesome. So they left it on, and I stayed, and they became huge fans. Sometimes I think it can depend upon who you're with when you watch a movie that can impact how you take it.

I'd never read Austen until my daughter introduced me to this one. Now I'm a fan, and I own three versions of this. I think I'll donate one to the local library.

I missed this when it was in the theaters and borrowed it from a neighbor. Watched it every night for a week. My family used to watch this series when I was a kid. The filmmakers did an incredible job of bringing in bits from the TV show (including using the same TV announcer) to the film.

My youngest son and I saw this movie eleven times in the theater (I saw it twelve times--went with a friend and her daughters).

Book Trailer . . . and Places

Author Tamara Heiner is having
a trailer blitz for her book Altercation.

When Jaci and her friends are placed in FBI custody, they think they are safe... until a betrayal puts them back in harm's way.

You can check out the trailer here.

Places

I saw this totally awesome sign on Facebook the other day, and I just have to ask my wonderfully building-kind-of-guy hubby to make me one of my own. While I would include some these locations, there are many that I would do differently.

I would be sure to add the following:

• The Harper Hall (Dragonriders of Pern series)
• Benden Weyr (Dragonriders of Pern series)
• The Spooky Old Tree (Berenstain Bears)
• Prince Edward Island (Anne of Green Gables)
• Guernsey Island (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society)
• Lothar (Restoree)
• Arizona--"My House. My Rules" (Uncle Jeb in The Host)
• Orthedale
• Lewistown, Montana

What are some of the wonderful literary places

that have captured your imagination over the years?

What places would you want to visit--

especially if you could see the characters
you've come to love?

Gearin' Up to Get An Agent - Week 4

I know. I'm a serious slacker loser. I totally did not participate in last week's part. I was supposed to submit my query here for consideration.

See, queries and I have a magnet thing going. No, not the part where we are attracted to each other. The part where when you put the opposite ends together (or try to) they push each other away.

Every time I think about trying to write a query, my brain twitches. It reminds me of Maynard G. Krebs's response to the word "work" from the old Dobbie Gillis show (go about 3/4s of the way thru this short video to see Maynard's reponse:




But I really haven't given up on the contest. I may, yet, squeeze a query out of my brain, so I'll jump in and do Part 4. This is the final week of the Gearin' Up to Get an Agent blogfest, which is hosted by Deana Barnhart.

Our challenge this week is to perfect our first pages. We're to post them on our blogs and then flit around to other participants giving feedback and advice. Have you ever imagined what a critique fairy would look like?

Critique Fairy

And then, we're supposed to email our official entries to Deana by Tuesday at 3 p.m. EDT. They will be judged by a preliminary team and then by Agent Kathleen Rushall of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency and by writer Monica B.W.

Okay, now that I've typed that, I'm having second thoughts about doing this. Ugh.

*bites the bullet*

We're not really sure about the genre for my WIP. It was suggested that it could be romantic suspense, but I've been told there's probably not enough suspense to qualify for that, but it's probably not a strict romance either, so it might be women's lit.

This project has been like that all the way through. It took me a year to come up with a title. I hope it doesn't take me a year to come up with a genre.

Anyway. Here's the first part of my ms. Go ahead. Rip it to shreds.

When Elle and I planned our dream cruise, pirates never entered into it, and they were the farthest thing from our minds as we stood before the check-in clerk at the wharf in Seattle. Holding my boarding papers I stood mesmerized by the site of the ship and felt a shiver of anticipation.

Elle nudged me as she accepted her ship card and paperwork from the clerk. “Don’t look but a guy over there’s been watching you.”

I started to turn my head, but she stepped on my foot. “Lyn, I said don’t look!”

“Sure he’s not been watching you?” I tried not to peek, curious in spite of myself.

“I know when guys are watching me.” She didn’t sound smug because it was the truth. After twenty years I should have known better than to ask.

We turned from the sign-in station to walk to the gangway. The man and his group had just finished at the station adjacent to ours, and we ended up next to him for a moment as we made our way to a new line.

He was tall. Really tall. At nearly six feet myself, I paid attention when guys were taller than me.

Elle gave him a sideways glance, and I casually turned my face in his general direction. He was looking at me. When our eyes met, he dropped his gaze and said something to a little girl whose hand he held. He and his group stepped ahead of us.

Elle smiled as we got in line behind them. “He’s cute,” she whispered.

“Looks like he has a daughter,” I noted, trying to discourage her.

Elle shook her head, keeping her voice low. “I overheard them. The little girl belongs to the couple he’s with. She called him uncle.”

Almost of their own volition, my eyes turned in his direction again, and I forced myself to turn away. Elle had hinted her goals for the cruise included getting me on a date again. My plan included reading a lot of books.