Thursday, January 29, 2015
Don Harron, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Don Harron, a Shakespearean actor who became a star on Canadian television and a familiar face on “Hee Haw” as the country bumpkin Charlie Farquharson, died on Jan. 17 at his home in Toronto. He was 90.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Colleen McCullough, R. I. P.
ABC News: Best-selling Australian author Colleen McCullough, whose novel "The Thorn Birds" sold 30 million copies worldwide, has died at age 77 after a long illness.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Sharknado + Zombies = Sky Sharks!
About_Sky Sharks: A team of Arctic geologists stumble across an abandoned laboratory in which the Nazis developed an incredible and brutal secret weapon during the final months of WW2 .
Deep in the ice, they accidentally awake a deadly army of flying zombie sharks ridden by genetically mutated, undead super-humans, who are unleashed into the skies, wreaking their bloodthirsty revenge on any aircraft that takes to the air.
Deep in the ice, they accidentally awake a deadly army of flying zombie sharks ridden by genetically mutated, undead super-humans, who are unleashed into the skies, wreaking their bloodthirsty revenge on any aircraft that takes to the air.
Book Bargain of the Day!
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THE COZY MYSTERY BUNDLECurated by Patricia Lee Macomber
I can think of no better cure for the winter blues than curling up with a good book. In that vein, here are fourteen great books by nine great authors. This Cozy Mystery Bundle offers a variety of books to appeal to a broad range of readers, each of them hand-picked by me. And as always, you decide the price you pay. And please keep in mind that a portion of the proceeds goes to charity.
Here there are happy characters and dark, humor and suspense. You can get a good dose of ah-ha moments and a few prickles of fear. The bundle includes my own book, Murder, Sometimes, the first book in the Jason Callahan supernatural mystery series. It also includes books by perennial favorites, Bill Crider and Ed Gorman, as well as some new and rising stars. There are two boxed sets included in this bundle, as well, bringing the total number of books to fourteen.
This bundle only runs for three weeks, so you'd better get 'em while they're hot. There is no better way to give the gift of reading to your friends, too. The first five books are available for the nominal price of $5 (or more if you're in a charitable mood) and for $14 (or more if you're in a charitable mood) you will receive the four bonus books. – Patricia Lee Macomber
The initial titles in the bundle (minimum $5 to purchase) are:
A Minor Case of Murder by Jeff Markowitz
Deadly Blessings by Julie Hyzy
The Kewpie Killer by Falafel Jones
Lexy Baker Cozy Mysteries Boxed Set 1-4 by Leighann Dobbs
Murder, Sometimes by Patricia Lee Macomber
If you pay more than the bonus price of just $14, you'll get another four books:
One Dead Dean by Bill Crider
The McKinleys Mystery Series Boxed Set 1-3 by Carolyn Arnold
New Improved Murder by Ed Gorman
Death is a Cabaret by Deborah Morgan
The bundle is available for a very limited time only, via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub and .mobi) for all books!
It's also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.
Why StoryBundle? Here are just a few benefits StoryBundle provides.
Get quality reads: We've chosen works from excellent authors to bundle together in one convenient package.
Pay what you want (minimum $5): You decide how much these fantastic books are worth to you. If you can only spare a little, that's fine! You'll still get access to a batch of exceptional titles.
Support authors who support DRM-free books: StoryBundle is a platform for authors to get exposure for their works, both for the titles featured in the bundle and for the rest of their catalog. Supporting authors who let you read their books on any device you want—restriction free—will show everyone there's nothing wrong with ditching DRM.
Give to worthy causes: Bundle buyers have a chance to donate a portion of their proceeds to charity. We're currently featuring Mighty Writers and Girls Write Now.
Receive extra books: If you beat our bonus price, you're you're getting fourteen total books (which includes two boxed sets)! StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com.
For more information, visit our website at storybundle.com, Tweet us at @storybundle, Like us on Facebook, and Plus us on Google Plus. For press inquiries, please email press@storybundle.com.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
Facebook post lands Mineral Wells man in jail: A 22-year-old Mineral Wells man is behind bars after allegedly posting on his Facebook page that he had more than a dozen warrants out for his arrest.
Short Stories by John D MacDonald
The Trap of Solid Gold: Short Stories by John D MacDonald: So what exactly does this page contain? It is a listing of every work of short fiction written by John D MacDonald and published in either a periodical or anthology. It contains only the first appearance of each story, although many were reprinted in other magazines.
Overlooked Movies: Beowulf
This is a repeat from November 16, 2007.You remember me. I was the kid in your high school class who actually enjoyed reading Beowulf. I was the one who was apt to say something like, "With my grip I will grapple the gruesome beast!" at odd moments or talk about the time we took a vacation and saw the whale road.
And something I enjoyed before I ever got to high school was 3-D movies. When I was a kid, the theaters in Mexia, Texas, weren't equipped to show 3-D, but I was lucky enough to see a few of the movies, anyway. My aunt took me to Dallas on my birthday to see It Came from Outer Space. I saw Fort Ti while we were in Galveston on vacation. My parents took me to Waco to see Sangree. I saw House of Wax and The Murders in the Rue Morgue in Ft. Worth on a school trip.
So was I going to pass up a chance to see the new 3-D version of Beowulf? Not on your life. I couldn't get to an IMAX theater, but I did find one nearby that was showing the film in digital 3-D, and that's where I went.
Let's talk about the story first. Yes, they changed it. I guess I know why. The Beowulf of the poem is too purely heroic. He has his flaws, but they're minor ones, and that will never do in this modern, cynical age. So we get a guy who makes a major blunder. Personally, I like the old way better, but that's just me. And while the fight with the dragon in the movie is thrilling, probably the best thing in the picture, I think the final section of the poem, with the old king doing what a man has to do, with the faithful Wiglaf backing him up, says a lot more about love, duty, friendship, and honor than you'll find in a hundred movies like this one. But that's just me.
Now about that 3-D. It's awesome. Great. Wonderful. I loved it. Why anybody would see this movie in any other format is beyond me. It won't be half as good. Not one-fourth. The visual effects carry you over the slow spots, and some of them are truly eye-popping.
Which reminds me. There's a lot of eye-popping in this movie, not to mention gore of many other sorts. It's over-the-top violent, and how it ever got a PG-13 rating, I'll never know. Except that violence doesn't bother the ratings board. It's nudity they hate. Well, you've got Angelina Jolie (or a representation of her) fully frontally nude here. No nipples, though, so I guess that's what saved them. She Grendel's mother, and while she doesn't have cloven hooves, she does have, well, you'll just have to see for yourself.
And you really should. See for yourself that is. If you like 3-D, you can have a good time with this one, in the same way you can with The Vikings or The Long Ships or even another Beowulf movie, The 13th Warrior. Check it out.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Uh-Oh
You'll have to read the whole article, but it's worth it. Your jaw will drop.
Adam Sandler's First Netflix Movie 'Ridiculous 6' Casts Taylor Lautner, Blake Shelton
Adam Sandler's First Netflix Movie 'Ridiculous 6' Casts Taylor Lautner, Blake Shelton
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Now's Your Chance to Become Ian Feming
Copyright quirk leaves James Bond up for grabs in Canada: Master spy James Bond, one of pop culture’s most iconic figures, is now available for dangerous assignments from Canadian writers, thanks to a copyright quirk that allows the writing and publication in Canada of original material based on Bond creator Ian Fleming’s work. As of Jan. 1, the original writings of Fleming, a former British naval intelligence agent who published 12 novels and nine stories featuring 007 between 1952 and 1966, have entered the public domain. That’s because Canada’s view of copyright is that it extends for 50 years after the death of a writer.
Hat tip to Fred Zackel.
Hat tip to Fred Zackel.
Map: Literally every goat in the United States
According to this map, there are 4101 goats in Brazoria County,Texas, where I live.
Map: Literally every goat in the United States
Map: Literally every goat in the United States
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
Extensive private collection of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia auctioned off in Texas: A collection of Abraham Lincoln memorabilia, including a lock of the 16th U.S president’s hair, will be up for auction in Dallas on Saturday, months before the United States marks 150 years since the end of the Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
My review of the first book in this series can be found here.
SOULS OF THE DEAD, the second book in Bob Randisi's Hit Man with a Soul trilogy, is now available at Amazon and B&N.com from Down & Out Books.
This is what was said about last year's UPON MY SOUL--
“Leave it to master-storyteller Robert Randisi to come up with a soulful new spin on the hitman genre. Sangster is a unique addition to the ranks of killers for hire.” —Max Allan Collins, creator of QUARRY
“As many excellent hitman novels as there have been over the years…you wouldn’t think there would be much left to do with the sub-genre. But you’d be wrong, as Robert J. Randisi…proves quite handily. —James Reasoner, author of Texas Wind
“…an ambitious, fast-paced thriller that plunges readers headlong into the world of professional hitmen…author Randisi promptly throws some fresh twists into his tale that amp up the excitement and suspense all the more.” —Wayne D. Dundee, author of the Joe Hannibal PI series
SOULS OF THE DEAD find ex-hit man Sangster back in New Orleans dealing with an attack on his good friend, Ken Burke, who is in an unexplainable coma. He wades into the world of Voodoo Queens, deities and spells to discover the answer, all the while being stalked by another hit man who wants to take his shot as the master.
About SOULS OF THE DEAD author Gary Phillips had this to say:
“Taut, clever and gritty, under the sure hand of Robert Randisi, The Souls of the Dead is an unputdownable crime story with a rough-hewn charm. Bring me more Sangster.”
-- Gary Phillips, author of Treacherous: Ruffians,
Grifters and Killers
Ernie Banks, R. I. P.
ESPN Chicago: "Mr. Cub" Ernie Banks, the Hall of Fame slugger and two-time MVP who never lost his boundless enthusiasm for baseball despite years of playing on losing Chicago Cubs teams, died Friday night. He was 83.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Edgar Froese, R. I. P.
Electronica pioneer Edgar Froese of Tangerine Dream dead at 70: Edgar Froese, whose band Tangerine Dream crafted an ambient and futuristic sound that set the stage for generations of electronic artists, has died, his son said Friday. He was 70.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Blood Feud (Fight Card) - Kindle edition by Jack Tunney, Tim Tresslar, Paul Bishop, David Foster. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.: Dubai, 2015…David Garrett never could walk away from a fight. Even when a covert mission to nab a terrorist went wrong, leaving fellow CIA agents dead and Garrett holding the bag, he had to be forced to stand down.
Angry and disillusioned, he returned to his native Chicago where he engaged in off-the-books bouts for money, settled scores and made new enemies. Still, the unfinished business eats at him. Then Melissa, his former lover and fellow CIA agent, surfaces. She tells him one of the men responsible for the debacle in Iraq has surfaced. Like Garrett, the man is a fighter and on the card for an exhibition bout in Dubai. Would Garrett come back for one last mission? Garrett never could walk away from a fight. Even one that could kill him…
I Want to Believe!
But I don't want to invest!
Put your money where your foot is: Bigfoot believer plans IPO to fund search
Put your money where your foot is: Bigfoot believer plans IPO to fund search
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