CassaStorm And The Ninja's Brain Guitar

To celebrate the release of CassaStorm, Alex J. Cavanaugh (aka - The Ninja Captain) is touring the blogosphere this week and answering questions from his crazy fans. (;  

Here's my question I scrambled to come up with at the last minute brilliant question:

Ummm... I think I'll stick to armpit farts. 

CassaStorm

By Alex J Cavanaugh

 (Release date: September 17)

From the Amazon Best Selling Series!

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

“CassaStorM is a touching and mesmerizing space opera full of action and emotion with strong characters and a cosmic mystery.” – Edi’s Book Lighhouse

"Cavanaugh makes world building on the galactic scale look easy. The stakes affect the entire known universe and yet Cavanaugh makes it intensely personal for our hero. The final installment of this series will break your heart and put it back together."
- Charity Bradford, science fantasy author of The Magic Wakes 

“…mesmerizing story of survival, personal sacrifice, tolerance, and compassion. It’s a rare jewel that successfully utilizes both character and plot to tell a story of such immense scope and intimate passion…” - Nancy S. Thompson, author of The Mistaken

$16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 268 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space opera

Print ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019

 One person will be chosen at random to win a
Cassa mug, Cass mousepad, swag, and a
$25 iTunes gift card. (Or Amazon.) 

$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Find CassaStorm:

• Barnes and Noble  
• Amazon 
• Amazon Kindle 
• Goodreads  
• Book trailer  

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar and CassaFire, he lives in the Carolinas with his wife. 

Find Alex on:

• Website  
• Twitter  
• Goodreads 

Alex Cavanaugh Cover Reveal and She Said What Winners

I am excited and honored to be part of Alex Cavanaugh's cover reveal today for his book CassaStorm! This book marks the last in the already successful Cassa trilogy that has Alex ranked as Amazon Sci-Fi Best Selling author!  

CassaStorm by Alex J. Cavanaugh

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

Cover Reveal
Release date: September 17, 2013

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, his only struggles are occasional rogue pirate raids and endless government bureaucracies. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, shaking Bassan to the core and threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could be on its way back. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

Science Fiction - Space Opera/Adventure

Print ISBN 9781939844002

E-book ISBN 9781939844019

Congratulations Alex on this fantastic cover! 

CassaStar, CassaFire and CassaStorm look amazing all lined up together! 

***

AND THE WINNERS ARE . . . 

Before we get to the winners, Michelle and I want to thank you all for making this bloghop such a success. I was skeptical at first, unsure if people would want to participate, but it was Michelle's enthusiasm and encouragement that convinced me. And having 30+ people sign up for our blogfest is twice as many than we expected. Plus, you all really out did yourselves. Every single entry made us laugh, chortlesnort, giggle or chuckle in some form or fashion. And when you're sick with the flu, laughter is great medicine.  I hope you realize how creative and funny you lot are. The same comic strip with the optional bonus words yielded a wide variety of different scenarios. You had the girls tripping over rope, over feet, or just plain trippin (ahem Alex . . . (;  ). The girls were sightseeing, rushing to the mall, to the dance or running away with dragon loot! You blew us away by your creativeness and snark, so you can imagine how hard it was to choose winners. We'd like to share with you some of our favorite quotes from the fest (in no particular order):

"Who does he think he is Buzz Lightyear?"

"... hoist me up before the champagne and LSD start running out my nose."

"Did somebody say THONG?"

"... a talking dragon-dog."

"we've got stylish beach-babe hairstyles."

"don't get your panties twisted in a bunch."

"I give you Dragon GPS for Virgin Snack here."

"Vazz izt diz, Giantz Condomz!?!

"Get your ass cheek in here!"

"We look like we should be on survivor,”

"At least the blood will match my outfit!"

"There's a party at my cave tonight."

"I can't run in these heels." Clop! Clop! Clop!

"Next time remind me to stay away from hot air balloons, mischievous monsters and clumsy superheros."

"...Tetons. So distracting..."

"Hey did you just kill Brad Pitt?"

"V's buying, I took his wallet."

"I think I gave a frog a heart attack."

"Are these breasts or pockets?"

"After all we've been through, you went out and found another critique partner? Why don't I just tie this rope around my neck?!"

"We tangoed cheek-to-cheek with death and won!"

"...honour me with a kiss? And not on the cheek either. I mean, I just popped a tic-tac."

"Don't look, I'm wearing granny panties!"

"Captain V blows!"

"Oh honey...that grey thong doesn't look good on you."

"...if only I had paid more attention in airspeed momentum class instead of thinking about my tango lessons."

"...skirt's gonna flap down showing the world a set of cheeks it never expected to see..."

"and what's with the banana-yellow cape, dud? Like, vomit."

"I don't know why I travel with you. You're a train wreck waiting to happen!"

"Habz no fearz, Viagra Man'z heeeeerz!"

Speaking of knickers, I can see yours from here! Were they always grey, or do they need to be washed? 

"Hurry Elise, we need to get back behind our keyboards where it's safe."

"Virgin Boy to the rescue!!!"

"Dude, did you have to do that in the balloon? "

"This is so embarrassing. It’s almost as embarrassing as the time you–"

"Does my head look big with this seaweed on it?"

"Dudette, I know, get up in this balloon so we can getaway with her treasure!"

****

AND NOW . . .  Drum Roll . . . 

Honorable Mentions: 

Alex Cavanaugh Ninja Captain

 Cheryl Duffin at Texas Playwright Chick 

Julie from Emptynestinsider 

LG Keltner at Writing Off The Edge, 

 Melissa at 5-minute Piece Of My Mind 

Tara Tyler at Tara Tyler Talks

Winner for Most Creative entry:

Tammy Theriault at Writing one Petal at a Time

Tammy, you win a banner or badge sponsored by the wonderful Tara Tyler at Tara Tyler Talks! 

4 Grand Prize Winners: 

Nick Wilford at Scattergun Scribblings

PK HREZO at Fearless Fiction

Nick and PK get to chose one from the following list of books and we'll be happy to send it to you (email us for the details):

1. On Writing - Steven King

2. Bird by Bird - Ann Lamott

3. The Right To Write - Julie Cameron

&

Al Diaz at Father Dragon Writes

Mark Means at Left and Write

Al and Mark get to chose one from the list below and we'll be happy to send it to you (email us for the details):

1. The Elements of Style, 4th edition - William Strunk Jr and E.B. White

2. Save the Cat - Blake Snyder

3. 10$ Amazon Gift Card

Congratulations to the winners and a huge thank you to everyone who participated and SPECIAL HUGS to my Co-Host Sister M! 

Have a wonderful weekend 
(: 

ALEXFEST

Alex Cavanaugh is not just a successful writer, he's also a blogger who devotes an amazing amount of time helping other writers promote their work and overcome many insecurities about their writing. He is a true positive force in the writing community and it's with great pleasure that I participate in the 

 “Cheers, Cavanaugh BlogFest.”

AKA: Alexfest 

Hosted by these awesome folks: Mark Koopmans, Morgan Shamy,David Powers King and Stephen Tremp.

*****

In +/- 20 words, what does Alex look like?

Like this: 

Mini Alex Ninja Captain and guitar made of plywood.

· In +/- 20 words, who could play Alex in a documentary? (Living or dead)

Nathan Fillion. Played novelist Richard Castle on tv and Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the movie, Serenity.

In +/- 20 words, who does Alex remind you of?

He doesn't remind me of anyone because there is only ONE Ninja Captain.

In +/- 100 words, (excluding the title) write flash fiction using all these prompts: Cavanaugh, Ninja,  IWSG, Cosbolt, Guitar

The Last Space Ninja

Captain Shamy’s spaceship was under attack. She only had minutes before Madman Koopmans reached the bridge. She ordered First Lieutenant Tremp to activate the ship’s droid, David Powers.

“I hope this works, Captain.”

“Me too," she said.

“The silver droid lifted his head as it came online. His computerize voice filled the room, “I’m David your ship’s droid. What are my orders, Captain?”

“Send a message to Alex Cavanaugh the Ninja Captain. Tell him my ship has fallen under attack. Every Cosbolt pilot has been infected with the Infectious Wiggles and Singing Giggles. They’re hula dancing uncontrollably and singing off key. I’ve never seen anything so hideous. In a matter of minutes, the MadMan will reach the bridge with his IWSG frequency gun. I’m afraid my mission to bring back the CassaStar Guitar has failed. This is our most desperate hour, help us Ninja Captain, you’re our only hope.”

For Bonus Points: In +/- 40 words, leave a comment for Mrs. Cavanaugh - thanking her for sharing Alex

Mrs. Cavanaugh, behind every successful Ninja Captain is his kick-butt wife. Thank you for sharing him with the blogging world.  

(:

Genre Favorites Blogfest

Alex J. Cavanaugh, author of CassaStar and CassaFire (in case you live under a rock and didn't  already know), is hosting the Genre Favorites Blogfest. All you need to do is list your favorite genre in movies, music, and books, plus a guilty pleasure. This was pretty hard for me because it's impossible to chose just one and I know I forgot a few but, here we go...

Favorite genre(s) of:

Movies

I mostly enjoy, action adventure / disaster / fantasy / sci fi  (I told you I can't pick just one!)  ̿'\̵͇̿̿\з=(•̪●)=ε/̵͇̿̿/'̿'̿ ̿ 

How To Train Your Dragon <==this is at the top of my list right now. Thank you, DreamWorks.
Avengers (Basically anything with comic book superheros in it.)

Star Wars
The Abyss

Lord of the Rings

The Matrix

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tiger (and a bunch more, you get the picture...)

I should add the few movies outside these genres that have always been on my favorites list:

Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain 

French Kiss

The King's Speech

However, my all time favorite is My Fair Lady. Don't ask me why, it just is and I can sing along (badly mind you) to all the songs and recite several quotes from the movie:

"Come on, Dover, move yer bloomin' arse!" xD
"Damn, damn, damn, DAMN! I've grown accustomed to her face."
"She's an owl, sickened by a few days of my sunshine."
"Women are irrational, that's all there is to that! Their heads are full of cotton, hay, and rags. They're nothing but exasperating, irritating, vacillating, calculating, agitating, maddening and infuriating hags! "

"I could have danced all night..." <==this is the part where I sing badly...very badly.

Okay, so I'll stop there before this gets out of control. Does this mean my favorite genre is musical comedy? o_O naww.

Music

This is the hardest for me because my preferences go across the board when it comes to music. Currently, I'm into electronic / dubstep but, I also like classic rock, big band, reggae, pop, disco, funk and just the other day my children and I were dancing to Barbra Streisand. LOVE BARBRA.

Books

Favorite genre right now is fantasy/paranormal. I also enjoyed Kohta Hirano's Hellsing menga series (I have a thing for Alucard, what can I say...) As a teenager, my preferences were pretty cut and dry. I ate up King's horror novels and a lot of Edgar Allan Poe. Though now, I tend to shy away from horror in movies and literature.

Guilty Pleasure

My guilty pleasure is actually a genre not listed above.... erotic lit.
Okay yeah, I said it... EROTICA!
It's a guilty pleasure that I unfortunately haven't had much time to indulge in lately. 
Any suggestions? (;

IWSG - Who's Insecure?

The view is always sweeter 
with a little support.



The first Wednesday of every month is Insecure Writer's Support Group day created by Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Some of you may already know I'm on a mini vacation, back in the States, and visiting my Dad (happy dance). But what you don't know is I still haven't shown him this blog since starting it last February. Not only that, he has never read my wip (with the exception of the first few pages I wrote two years ago). My mother, has never read a single word. And most people I know off-line, don't even know I write. Why? Because what if I'm a failure as a writer? To say I'm an insecure writer is an understatement. But you know what? Things are starting to change. 

I was given a bit of advice from a wonderful woman I met on the plane coming over. She was a therapist, originally from New York, who was also an artist AND writer. She reminded me that all writers are insecure, even the ''big" names. What's important she said, is what you do with that information. In other words, don't let your insecurity become an obstacle that keeps you from writing. And if you truly want to write, you won't let it. 

You know that amazing feeling you get when you write something that comes together perfectly? It doesn't happen to me often, but I love that feeling in fact, I'm addicted to it. Addicted to words that when placed in a certain sequence makes me vibrate. I truly want to become a good writer. So last night, my Dad took me to his writer's group and I read the flash fiction piece I wrote for my V post to everyone there. Guess what? I survived and now wish there was a writer's group where I live. Things are starting to change, more important, I think I'm starting to change. Will that effect my writing? It sure will. Am I insecure about that? Yes, but I'll save that for another IWSG post. (;