Friday, October 21, 2016

Q&A with Eden Hudson, author of Jubal Van Zandt‏ and the Revenge of the Bloodslinger





Now available to purchase from Shadow Alley Press Inc. is the urban fantasy, cyber punk novel, titled "Jubal Van Zandt And The Revenge Of The Bloodslinger" by Eden Hudson.



The author has taken a few minutes out of her busy schedule for a Q&A about her newest novel.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

When I was little, I spent tons of time in my grandpa’s shop listening to farmers, cowboys, and hunters tell each other stories while they worked on tractors or waited for the fur buyer. There’s an art to storytelling, a science to carrying on a conversation with your listeners, and those guys and gals were masters. I fell in love with the way they talked—their voices, speech patterns, and dialects—as much as I did with the adventures they were relating. Maybe more. When I learned to read, it opened up a whole new world of storytelling for me. I realized that people could write books as a job. Once I realized that, I never wanted to do anything else.

What was your first book/story published?

In 2014, I published Halo Bound, the first book in the Redneck Apocalypse series. I finished out the fourth and final book in the Redneck Apocalypse this past February with God Killer, and now with Jubal Van Zandt and the Revenge of the Bloodslinger, I’m starting a whole new series.

What inspired you to write Revenge of the Bloodslinger?

Everything from videogames, comic books, and good anime to friendships, nightmares, and my grandpa. But the initial spark came one night a few years ago, while I was talking with a friend about the way he viewed time and how neither of us felt we had enough of it. To cheer him up, I wrote him up a couple hundred word flash fiction about a self-centered thief who snuck into the garden of time while his beautiful partner fought off the immortal guardian. Jubal and Carina were born.

What character in Revenge of the Bloodslinger is the most like you, and in what ways?

Q&A with David Lamb, author of On Top Of The World: Until The Bell Chimes





Now available from Woolly Mammoth Books is On Top Of The World: Until The Bell Chimes by author David Lamb.




The author has taken a few moments from his busy schedule to answer a few questions about his novel.


When did you become interested in storytelling?

I’ve been addicted to storytelling since the sixth-grade, when I wrote a short story and my teacher let me read it to the class at the end of the day and kids gave me a big applause when I finished.

What was your first book/story published?

A romantic-comedy about a relationship between two college students from different cultures who fall in love at first sight until her mom finds out and has a heart-attack—Do Platoons Go With’ Collard Greens? I went on to produce it as on off-Broadway play which ran for more than ten years and was a blast.

What inspired you to write On Top Of the World?

Believe it or not it, even though On Top Of The World is a romantic –comedy, it was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement. Specifically, when a sculptor sympathetic to the movement created a sculpture of Jay-Z as Scrooge accusing him of capitalizing on the movement by selling t-shirts that said Occupy. I was fascinated that this guy from public housing in NY had momentarily become the symbol of the 1%. I asked myself, if Scrooge were alive today, what would he look like, my answer a handsome, egotistical music star with talent coming out the wazoo. And the love of his life, other than money, Belle, would no longer be a Victorian lady-in-waiting but beautiful lawyer whose love transforms the shy nerd that school was in college into a star, only to realize too late that she’d help create a top-charting monster. And the story would be a love story unfolding in both their voices and his road to redemption on the night of Hollywood’s biggest event, when he has to take the journey of a lifetime to heal his feelings of not being worthy of love and to become the man she originally fell in love with.

What character in On Top Of The World is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Review: The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season DVD


Warner Bros., Not Rated; 926 minutes

Is there one television series that is your guiltiest pleasure, even though it's not very good?

For me, this would The Vampire Diaries.

Loosely based on the young adult books by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries debuted on the CW in 2009 and quickly gained a small following. While it was somewhat a Twilight Saga ripoff during it's first few seasons, the series has finally grown into it's own show.

Due to the Kansas City Royals going to the playoffs and then the World Series last year (which they won), I got behind on the seventh season of the series; so far behind that I eventually decided to just wait for the DVD to release to get caught up on the season.

While I do like the series, I have always believed it has been held back from being really good due it's lackluster scripts and the bland performance by Nina Dobrev as the main character, Elena Gilbert. Most fans threw a fit when she left at the end of the sixth season, but it didn't bother me one bit.

The seventh season has a different format to it. The first half of the season picks up a few months after the sixth season finale, where the Heretics have taken over Mystic Falls. These episodes normally end with a flash forward set three years into the future. The second half of the season, which mostly deals with the huntress plot, is set three years later (in the flash forward timeline), though there are a few flashbacks.

Q&A with Jillian Stone, author of EAT, SLAY, LUZT




Being released on October 28th is the zombie adventure-thriller Eat, Slay, Lutz by Jillian Stone.



The author has taken a few moments from her busy schedule to answer a few questions about her novel.


When did you become interested in storytelling?

I’ve always been interested in telling stories, but I never actually finished writing a book until six years ago.

What was your first book/story published?

AN AFFAIR WITH MR. KENNEDY was published in 2012. It is a historical romantic suspense set in Victorian era London.

What inspired you to write EAT, SLAY, LUZT?

I’ve always wanted to write a zombie book or screenplay. And I’m also weirdly inspired by dystopian action/horror movies like 28 Days Later, The Road Warrior, World War Z.

What character in EAT, SLAY, LUZT is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

The heroine, Lizzy Davis, is probably the most like me. She’s independent, adventurous, and resilient. But she doesn’t recognize those qualities in herself. Half the time, she thinks she’s a baby and a wimp. All the men who meet her know better!

What is your favorite part in EAT, SLAY, LUZT?

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Journey Back To Wonderland in "Alice Through The Looking Glass"

*This is a sponsored review: All opinions are 100% mine.

PG; 113 minutes; $39.99; Amazon

Now available to own on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD from Walt Disney Home Entertainment is Alice Through The Looking Glass. Directed by James Bobin, the film stars Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Matt Lucas, Rhys Ifans, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen.

In this sequel to 2010's Alice in Wonderland (and based on the characters by Lewis Carroll), Alice Through The Looking Glass picks up three years later where Alice (played by Mia Wasikowska) has been at sea commanding her late father's ship. When she returns home, she learns that her ex-fiancé, Hamish Asco (played by Leo Bill) had taken over her father's company and is threatening to take her family home as well.

Once again, Alice runs away, but this time she follows the butterfly Absolem (voiced by Alan Rickman in his final performance) through a mirror that takes her to Underland. There she learns that her old friend, the Mad Hatter (played by Johnny Depp), has become homesick after finding a mini-hat he had made when he was a child. It seems his family died during the Attack of the Jabberwocky.

After talking to the White Queen (played by Anne Hathaway), Alice decides to search for Time (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) and try to convince him to travel back in time to save the Mad Hatter's family. Unfortunately, things doesn't go as plan, forcing Alice to steal the Chronosphere and travel through time herself.

Of course the Red Queen (played by Helena Bonham Carter) is never too far behind.




Bonus Features includes:

DVD Review - Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Hi-Tech Fashion



Not Rated; 66 minutes; $14.98; Walmart
Available today on DVD + Digital HD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Hi-Tech Fashion, featuring three exciting episodes from the popular CGI animated television series, Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures.

The series marks the third animated incarnation of the former American Greetings' character (it's now owned by the Iconix Group). Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures aired on Discovery Family (formerly called Hub Network) from 2010 to 2015, lasting for 65 episodes.

The three episodes from the disc are: "Berry Double Trouble"; "Berry Bitty Adventurer"; and "High Tech Drama."  All three aired during the beginning of the fourth season.

"Berry Double Trouble" centers on Raspberry and Lemon learning about a fashion tech contest, and since the two love everything to do with fashion, they plan on entering the contest. However, since the deadline to enter is quickly approaching, they enlist the twins Sweet and Sour Grapes to take over their jobs at Strawberry's cafe.


Strawberry's traveling cousin, Apple Dumplin' comes for a visit in "Berry Bitty Adventurer." Her sudden arrival puts Lemon and Raspberry's fashion ideas on hold while they hang out with her.


The big fashion tech contest finally arrives in "High Tech Drama." At first Raspberry and Lemon are excited about featuring their designs during a webcast, but their moods change when everything goes wrong.

Q&A with Shelley Russell Nolan, author of Winged Reaper





Available now from Atlas Productions is the paranormal Urban fantasy Winged Reaper, book two in the Reaper Series by author Shelley Russell Nolan.



The author has taken a few moments from her busy schedule to answer a few questions about her novel.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love reading books, sneaking off to read whenever I could, and I also loved losing myself in television shows or movies. I would always imagine myself playing a part in the book or the show and when I was sixteen I started creating stories and worlds of my own.

What was your first book/story published?

My first story published was a YA novella, Angel Fire.

What inspired you to write Winged Reaper?

Winged Reaper is book two in my Reaper Series. The first book is Lost Reaper and I started it after a conversation with a friend about what would follow the vampire, werewolf and angel trends. We were naming all sorts of supernatural creatures and when I suggested reapers a line came to me – The first dead body I ever saw was my own – and the seed for the series was born.

What character in Winged Reaper is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

The character least like me is Rhonda, Tyler’s step-mother. While she loves her son, she has no love for her motherless step-daughter. I tend to mother everyone, and if I was ever in the same situation I would shower a step-child with just as much love and affection as my own children.

What is your favorite part in Winged Reaper?

I love the part where Tyler stands up to her father because it shows how much she has matured and is able to accept herself for who she is and not how others see her.

What was the hardest part to write?

Q&A with LD Towers, author of The Raveners





Now available to purchase from BadBird Productions is the paranormal thriller The Raveners by author LD Towers.



Grab Your Copy Here


The author has taken a few moments from her busy schedule to answer a few questions about her novel.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

I became interested in writing as a tween. I was trying to be just like my older sister! Her storytelling really fascinated me, and like many younger siblings, I wanted to be just like my elders. Then I realised I had stories I wanted to share and the rest is history.

What was your first book/story published?

My first book published was Teufel of my Riesa series. While not paranormal at all- it’s a piece of historical fiction set in Germany in the 30’s- I’m still incredibly fond of it.

What inspired you to write The Raveners?

I had this great idea for a ‘vampire’ story- or really a retelling of the whole vampire legend. To be fair- I was going to write something mass market to see if I could catch onto the wave of vampire books and then it turned into something a little more. It has a lot of my thoughts on spirituality and the universe as well. I hope that doesn’t make it sound too heavy?

What character in The Raveners is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I am probably a lot like Lexa, our heroine. She’s a plus sized military historian- as am I! :) I think if anyone in the book is ‘me’, that would be it.

As for least like me, that would be Ludwig von Gravenreuth. Even though he’s getting his own book soon, we aren’t much alike. He’s a follower. He’s spent his life in service to Karl, our hero, and he’s very content to be in the background.

What is your favorite part in The Raveners?