Mind Sieve 06/03/22

News/Musings	StoryOrigin Swap 1
Mini Movie Reviews	Movie/Show Previews
StoryOrigin Swaps 2	Just for Fun!
SciFi and Fantasy Giveaway	Planets in Alignment Book Fair
June 2022 Felony Fiction

Greetings!

June has been super busy so far! Eek!

News/Musings

I have a ton of news this time around, so I hope you’ll bear with me! 😁 Strap in for the ride! Lol.

First, here’s a pic of the final cover for The JOY of Murder!

The JOY of Murder - A Daiyu Wu Mystery

It looks pretty snazzy, right? Charles fixed Daiyu’s hair and tea-shade glasses. He also added an arm with the handcuffs and removed most of the blood. I love the juxtaposition of the border. He’ll have the cover templates completed soon. Yay!

Second, sample chapters for The JOY of Murder are up! Grab them in your favorite format or read them on your browser.

Third, for anyone needing to catch up, the ebook for Black Jade is now on sale for $.99! Should stay that way for the whole month of June, so get it while you can before it goes back to the $3.99 price. 😋

But wait! There’s more! Lol. (I couldn’t resist!)

Fourth, The JOY of Murder ebooks are now available for Pre-Order at your favorite online retailer.

Sadly, KDP has not figured out how to do pre-orders for hardcovers and softcovers. 😥 Though both will be available in the first to middle weeks of July. The official release date for the ebook is 7/21/22.

Fifth, the ARC Team got first dibs, but I still have some open slots for anyone wanting to get a free copy of The JOY of Murder in exchange for a review. (If you want to be added to the ARC Team, sign up for the newsletter and then let me know! Include the genres you’d prefer to help with!)

There are two places you can sign up which will also send you reminders to get the review up—Booksprout and StoryOrigin.

Sixth, in July, I will be doing a Giveaway for the release of The JOY of Murder! The prize will be three hardcover books—Poirot Investigates (Royal Collection Editions), Black Jade, and The JOY of Murder. But there will also be Cozy and Mystery freebies! I’ll share the link once it goes live on July 1st!

The Joy of Murder Release Celebration Prize Pack

I did have a total SQUEE moment this month! The new Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series started and the first world Obi-wan went to was called Daiyu! YES! I had to do a double-take! They named the planet the same name as my amateur detective, Daiyu Wu! (My fan girl is showing. Lol!) 😎

Planet Daiyu

Extra stuff I’ve shoved in here:

1) Two StoryOrigin Swaps (Freebies!)

2) Two June Giveaways (more Freebies!)

3) Felony Fiction June 2022 $0.99 ebooks!

More deets on all of these in their sections. 😊

StoryOrigin Swap 1 (Freebie!)

The Healing Glass

A dead mother, a dying father. Magic could help – if it still existed.
The first novel in a dark, epic fantasy series.

A plague is destroying Kingston City.
Audra Academician discovers the only cure—a long-forgotten artifact from the Age of Mages: The Healing Glass. Except Mages and magic have been extinct for centuries.

But when Audra sets off across the ancient land of Taurë to find it, she discovers more than she wanted: the truth.

The truth about The Healing Glass. 
The truth about Mages.
The truth about herself.

“… a lot of action and tension. Hats off for introducing a plot point that left me with my mouth actually hanging open.” — Liz Williams, best-selling SFF author.

The Healing Glass is the first book in an exciting new epic fantasy series by Maria Herring.

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!

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

This film was funky but also fun! A Bromance! This is an alternate universe where Nicolas Cage is Nick Cage and his life has hit a major low point. I loved the interplay between Cage and Pedro Pascal—their characters two clueless guys chasing a dream. There were several subplots about family, and the aging actor trying to reconnect with his daughter. Some great chase scenes and gunplay. A definite popcorn flick. 😋

Rating: ★★★.5 out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Better for Matinee)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Hubby insists it should be called The Scarlet Witch in the Multiverse of Darkness. He was not a happy camper. I don’t agree with him that Strange was just used to get the girl from point A to point B, but there could have been more exploration done on his side, despite having the one big elephant in the room (his ex) and that correlating with Wanda’s own madness tapped grief. There were too many unanswered questions about America as well. Her parents had star pins, America’s portals are star-shaped, and she wore a jacket with a star. (I went digging and it seems she is “Miss America”, brought into the Marvel comic universe in 2011.) I did love seeing all the different Doctor Strange incarnations and the multiverse worlds. Several surprise guests show up in the film as well. The special effects were great and there’s a bit at the end, which might be Cleo?! Woot!

Rating: ★★★.75 out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Better for Matinee.)

Top Gun Maverick

Super Nostalgia Time! They rev up the audience by starting off with Highway to the Danger Zone! Awesome aerial shots from the planes. A ton of parallels and similarities to the plot of the first film and egos as big as Texas. LOL. Several poignant moments as Maverick has to deal with several issues. The only odd bit was the mission—it was pretty much a dead copy of Luke Skywalker and the rebels run at the Deathstar. 🤣 If you loved the original, you’ll love this one, too!

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

Memory

An aging assassin wants to get out of the game due to increasing Alzheimer’s issues but gets talked into doing one last job. His ‘friend’ however, neglected to mention one of the two targets was a child. He doesn’t take her out, but others decide not to leave it alone. Chaos ensues. I enjoyed how the story is told from two different angles—the assassin’s and the FBI agent’s. Both seeking justice from the girl in their own ways. Lots of gunplay, red herrings, and suspenseful moments. A fun ride!

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

Movie Previews 🎥

Bad Batch Season 2 Trailer – follows the exploits of a group of Clones that did not get subverted by Code 66. Enjoyed the first season so looking forward to more!

The Man From Toronto Trailer – it is from the same people that did the Hitman’s Bodyguard, so it should be crazy! Lol.

Three Thousand Years of Longing Trailer – a genie! Looks super crazy! Lol.

Story Origin Swap 2 (Freebie)

Tales from the Roundabout

A Collection of Funny Short Stories set in Carmel, IN -a City Obsessed with Art, Status, and Traffic Circles!

Episode 1

Just when you needed a good laugh, Jeff Stanger is back with a collection of hilarious stories set in Indiana’s wealthiest suburb and home to America’s most roundabouts.

City Council banned a gentlemen’s club from opening within the city’s borders. Now, the club owner is out for revenge and he plans an outrageous spectacle in the center of one of the city’s most visible roundabouts.

The public display of dancers brings the wrath of the Lakewood Estates Association Moms. And the obsession of the Lakewood Estates middle school boys!

Now the club owner and mayor are in a battle with ever-increasing stakes and outrageousness. And the boys will risk being grounded for life, just to impress a dancer twice their ages. And hiding in the shadows is a city council member with a score to settle before his time in office ends.

Fans of Tim Dorsey and Carl Hiassen will enjoy this hilarious collection.