Mind Sieve 07/29/22

Table of Contents

News/Musings StoryOrigin Swap 1
Mini Movie Reviews Movie/TV Show Previews
StoryOrigin Swap 2 Just for Fun!
Strong Women Strange Worlds Forward to the Future Giveaway

Greetings!

It is still hot, Hot, HOT down here in Texas. 🔥 I hope you are keeping cool. We’ve been doing okay for most of it, just a couple of hours when the A/C, fans, etc. can’t keep up.

 

News/Musings

The JOY of Murder Release Celebration Giveaway Banner

The JOY of Murder Release Celebration Giveaway is almost over! If you’ve not entered yet for your chance to win the three hardcover prize pack, you need to do so ASAP! (US Only)

Loads of freebies from cozy/mystery/thriller authors are also up for grabs on the same page and those are good for everyone!

 

I was originally going to a post on 7/22/22 to let everyone know that the JOY of Murder’s ebook editions were live, but I decided to skip it. The last thing I want is to become spammy!

That being said, you still have a few days to send me your purchase receipt to get the BONUS short story Romeo’s Revenge.

I got a shock a couple of weeks back or so. I had believed the header fonts were coming through in the ebook editions. (The two I republished after the publishing company went bankrupt and the two mysteries.) I was terribly wrong! (I could see them because the fonts were on my PC. But no one else could! Despite embedding them.) 😭

Then I had a bit of an epiphany! I could use images not only to preserve the font headers but also to add even more bling to the books themselves! 🤯

So I spent a frantic week trying to spruce them up! The four books and Jacques are done. Amazon has approved them all, though I have two I need to fix for the Smashwords catalog (Cross-eyed and Black Jade) and the third parties they send them to. There’s an issue with the default navigation data. The plan is to have those fixed before the end of the weekend. Booyah!

I also decided to spend the $$ and get my reader magnets professionally edited. It hasn’t felt right to give them away without making them as shiny as can be. I’m updating the bling on these as well! (Jacques was already professionally edited, but it now has more bling!)

So right now, both Jacques and Elixir of Life have been updated. Join the Newsletter and then feel free to download one or both and see the improved versions!

As I get the other reader magnets done, I’ll post about them in the news section of the newsletter/blog post. Enjoy!

 

Extra stuff I’ve shoved in here:

1) One StoryOrigin Swap (Review Copy)

2) Two StoryOrigin Swaps (Freebie!)

3) Strong Women – Strange Worlds Readings

3) Forward to the Future Giveaway (More Freebies!)

 

More deets on all of these in their sections. 😊

 

StoryOrigin Swap 1 (Review Copy)

StoryOrigin Swap 1 (Review Copy)

Monarch in the Flames

Once you’ve been burned, everything is fire.

Stephan’s peaceful reign as the king of Frenland is in jeopardy. Only one person stands a chance at preventing his assassination. Unfortunately, Valerie is in exile.

What could entice the crown princess of the former tyrannical regime to risk burning at the stake to help him? Nothing, unless he succeeded in capturing her heart last summer.

Monarch in the Flames is book 2 in the Modutan Empire Series.

Mini Movie Reviews 🎥

★ – Why did I go see this? Why?!

★★ – Showed promise but on execution, crashed

★★★ – Enjoyable, just don’t look under the hood too closely

★★★★ – A great film, totally worth seeing!

★★★★★ – 🤯 Too fabulous for words!

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

Mel Brooks is back! And so are several old jokes. Lol. This film makes fun of so many things. Scenes from West Side Story, Bruce Lee films, Mel Brooks films, Kung Fu films, the 4th wall, anachronisms, and more. They explore several themes, several to amusing effect. Fun popcorn and nostalgic flick. Much fun to be had. 😁

Rating: ★★★.75 out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price to See Again!)

 

Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Love and Thunder

Though the previews make it look like a comedy, there is a lot of seriousness in here, too. The first few minutes as we are introduced to the “bad guy” Gorr are quite tear-jerking and dramatic. The narrated storytelling by Korg sets a nice tone for the hijinks. The goats, the jealous hammer, and the interactions with the Guardians of the Galaxy brought many snort moments. You almost rubberband back and forth between the drama, comedy, and touching moments. There are a lot of harsh truths covered in candy sprinkles to help viewers through them without getting too depressing. Overall, it was a fun ride!

Rating: ★★★★ out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price to See Again!)

 

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Like Paws of Fury, the film has a very 70’s vibe. The themes touch on group trust and team building. Prepare yourself to groan or snort through the names of the Vicious 6 – Wild Knuckles and Belle Bottoms but two of them. Lol. Nun-Chuck: a literal nun who wields nunchucks. (Lucy Lawless?! Squee!) A lot of poignant and fun moments. Minions doing what minions do best – causing chaos! These films are so much fun. Nostalgia for the win!

Rating: ★★★★ out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price to See Again!)

 

Movie Previews 🎥

SHAZAM 2: Fury of the Gods Comic-Con Trailer (2022) – looks awesome!

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Movie Trailer – oh! Some of my fave creatures, too! Looks great!

She-Hulk Attorney at Law trailer – this looks fun! And a funny Bruce Banner, who knew? Lol.

Story Origin Swap 2 (Freebie)

Story Origin Swap 2 (Freebie)

Where Weaver Daire

On a world where ancient magic and technology exist, the skeletons of the past never stay buried for long. Melinda Scott should know. She just found a big one.

Where Weavers Daire is the first book in a new rip-roaring space opera series in the same vein as Babylon 5, Farscape and Star Wars!

Just for Fun!

Love Runs Out by One Republic – funky video! Some cool visuals. The song is good, too! 😎 (Hubby shared this one.)

How Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Should Have Ended video – this is a riot. I did watch the movie again and I still like it. A lot of parallels between Strange and Wanda, like two sides of the same coin.

Smooth Criminal – with Chinese Instrument Guzheng Cover – she’s amazing! (Hubby shared this one, too!)

Strong Women Strange Worlds 8/05/22

Strong Women Strange Worlds is having their next virtual reading on 8/5/22. Click the link to register.

Forward To The Future Jul 2022 Giveaway

Forward to the Future Giveaway – free science fiction reads for July 2022 – only a few more days to grab them.

Stay cool out there! 🧊

Gloria