Mind Sieve 9/24/21

 

Table of Contents

News/Musings	StoryOrigin Swaps 1& 2
Mini Movie Reviews	Movie Previews
StoryOrigin Swap 3	Audiobooks & Books for Reviews
Just for Fun!	Strong Women – Strange Worlds

Greetings!

I hope September has been good to you.  😁

News/Musings

My sinuses have been misbehaving a ton the last few weeks. 😖 I would be more than happy for them to start being nice! Maybe now that fall has started, they will become more cooperative. Right…  😋

 

The final headshot has arrived for the Daiyu Wu Mysteries crew. Last but never least is Prince Razor. Isn’t he cute? Art is by orenjilemonade at Fiverr.

 

Prince Razor

Bodyguard, playmate, and ladies’ man. 😋

Extra stuff I’ve shoved in here:
1) Three info swaps from StoryOrigin. One of the three is a reader magnet – so no cost to you.

2) Two opportunities for you to get books 📚 or audiobooks if you leave reviews of them in exchange.

3) Latest set of authors that will be doing readings for Strong Women – Strange Worlds.

More deets on all of these in their sections. 😊

 

Story Origin Swap 1

Woman of the Stone by S.V. Farnsworth

Emerald Stone broke her word only once.

As the consequences catch up with her, it may cost her life, has already taken her virtue, and for certain will exact a toll on her freedom. Tasked by the Creator with a quest to reunite the ancient Modutan Empire, she escapes in search of a peace that can only be found on the other side of a war. If she survives the politics and peril of the journey, she will discover that oaths of the heart are not so easily broken.

(In Print Only)

Story Origin Swap 2

The Jack Hansard Series: Season 1 by Georgina Jeffery

Jack Hansard is the man who can sell you anything. Luck in a bottle, fame in a box, dreams on a leash… anything is possible when you’re a trader on the occult Black Market.

Jack is used to a life of handling dangerous goods, dodging disgruntled customers, and sometimes running away very fast. But when Ang (a two-and-a-half-foot tall coblyn right out of Welsh folklore) buys his help to find her missing kin, Jack suddenly finds the goods are riskier, the customers more treacherous, and escape is anything but guaranteed.

The Jack Hansard Series is an episodic modern fantasy with a wide streak of humour and a lot of British folklore. Season One contains the first fifteen episodes in the 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!

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

This film has a little bit of everything in it. Tons of action, comedy, magic, drama, and more. The relationship between Shaun (Shang-Chi) and Katy was refreshing as it shows that men and women can just be friends. The two are like a mischievous pair of siblings! I also loved how they incorporated the Mandarin character debacle in Iron Man 3 and played with it. So fun! There are two extra scenes at the end (the first one slew me!). Definitely worth seeing!

Rating: ★★★★.25 out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission to See Again!)

The Suicide Squad

I somehow missed doing a review on this one. DOH! I liked this one a lot better than the 2016 Suicide Squad with Will Smith. The plot was a little more solid and had more layers. It is as crazy and demented as ever, too! I had seen King Shark in one of the animated DC films before, so I was totally looking forward to seeing him in CGI. What a riot! Voila Davis is still creepy good as Amanda Waller. Not for KIDS!  

Rating: ★★★★ out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Price of Admission)

Movie Previews 🎥

Matrix Resurrections – This should be wild! Though I wish Keanu had shaved or cut his hair. In the last John Wick film and this one he looks too scraggly. 😋

Spider Man No Way Home Trailer – I’m not sure Dr. Strange would do this? But it could be fun. 😋

Hawkeye – I thought it was a movie, but it’s actually a TV show! Sweet! Trick arrows for the win!!!!!

Story Origin Swap 3

The Neighbor You Don’t Know by Shane Shepherd

After countless years of preparation Mission Terra Firme One is finally ready to commence and give Earth the answers it has long waited for, about the planet Neighbor.

The TSS Cartographer is about to arrive and its First Officer Baldwin “call me Win” Tavares believes that he might just be able to touch his hand to that rocky ground and that’d be enough for him to learn everything there is to know about their old Neighbors, the things they’d done and what they’d left behind.

But not everyone is as kind-hearted or has such noble intentions, and Neighbor holds more mysteries than anyone could have imagined. Exploring it might open the gates for a flood that threatens to drown everything, and Win must make decisions that hold his life, and that of all around him, at stake.

(Reader Magnet)

Audiobooks for Reviews Exchange!

HMT Audiobook Reviews! For the month of Sep 2021, these audiobooks will be available in exchange for reviews.

 

Books for Reviews Exchange!

Back to School! Paranormal romance and urban fantasy books for reviews for the month of Sep 2021.

 

Just for Fun!

This month over at the Animal Rescue Site they had another super cute story – this time about a bookstore that serves coffee and has kittens for adoption! They roam the store! The story is here.

Speaking of the Matrix – watch the latest music video from World Order called Censorship. If you’ve never seen them before, they are a blast! Their synchronized movements are amazing!

A new video from Simon’s Cat called Pupsitting. This one is in color and 10 minutes long! Dang!

Strong Women – Strange Worlds

The next Strong Women – Strange Worlds virtual readings are set for Friday 10/01/21 at Noon EST. Check out the graphic below for the participants. Here’s the info link. Make your free reservation early!

Have an awesome weekend! 😁

 

Gloria

Mind Sieve 7/16/21

Table of Contents

1) News/Musings

2) StoryOrigin Swap

3) Mini Movie Reviews

4) Movie Previews

Greetings!

I hope you’re having a great summer! It’s getting scorching out there. 🔥

Now if I could only get my back muscles to behave. 😆

I want to write!

News/Musings

Black Jade Book Tour and Giveaway July 12-July 18, 2021

There’s still time to join the fun and get a free copy of Black Jade! This has been put together by the great folks at Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours! There are a few days left, so why not visit these fine folks. 😁

The Url with all the details is here.

BLACK JADE TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 12 – Novels Alive – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 12 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

July 13 – Baroness’ Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 13 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 14 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

July 14 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 15 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

July 16 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

July 16 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

July 17 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW

July 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

July 18 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 18 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

Over at Goodreads, reviews are at 25 ratings and 24 written reviews. The average rating at the moment is 4.28 out of 5 stars. 😁 YES! 

Over at Amazon, it has hit 10 reviews! Booyah! All those weeks of contacting reviewers are paying off. 😁

Work continues on Book 2. It is tentatively titled White Gold! I’ve got most of the main items figured out and a possible theme. I have not been able to write as much as I’ve wanted to though. 😭

I am trying to see if I can swap every week between WIPs so Breaking Dawn Cleaners will also get some love. My back muscle is not helping with writing though. I’m pushing to try to start some exercises to strengthen the thing. Wish me luck!!!!!

This month I am trying some other new things, too. I caved and joined StoryOrigin. It’s a multi-purpose site where authors can swap newsletter mentions, do group promotions, create universal purchase links, and more.

I’m trying to check anyone I am swapping with, so I don’t share anything that doesn’t look like good quality on you, plus it gives you a chance at freebies! The groups I am joining at the moment will be free books for reviews. But this time around, I am doing a newsletter swap. I decided to include it in the blog post as well. See below!

StoryOrigin Swap!

Darkest Depths by Yolanda Allard

Do you want to know why you’ve never heard of real live mermaids? Because I killed them all. Just kidding, that’s just what I’m trying to do. Mermaids, unfortunately, are real, and they’re smart. Smart enough to stay out of reality TV. But they’re not red-headed nor wonder-struck.

They’re evil.

In every sense of the word. From their razor-sharp teeth to their gelatinous tail. Their main source of nourishment is you, your delicious human flesh. And they can look just like you.

Unless you happen to notice the reflective sheen in their eyes or the fangs that come out right before they eat you alive. It’s my mission to kill every last one, and then hopefully, maybe, save your butt… if I have time. So, do us both a favor, stay out of my way. Stay in the sunshine where they can’t travel. I and the other hunters have got the nights covered and soaked in the black blood of mermaids.

Regards,
Harper Hatchet, Mermaid Hunter

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!

Fast and Furious 9

F9 was a bit of a disappointment. The over the top stunts and the needed suspension of disbelief are a given, so that wasn’t their issue. The problem was with the plot and character motivations. While they tried to explain Dom’s brother and their competitive natures, the explanations didn’t jive with what was going on. His brother becoming a rogue agent didn’t fit the motivations shown and no explanations were ever given. The money guy went from one partner to another, but nothing in the film supported this move. Also, during one of the sequences in an enemy vehicle, all the people we’d seen inside it, weren’t there when Dom goes from room to room. They’ve definitely done better. 😭

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

Boss Baby: Family Business

This sequel to Boss Baby explores several family-related themes. The babies are adorable! The ninja kids are super awesome! (I have a soft spot for ninjas.) There are several teary moments and “ahhh” moments, as well as one of the creepiest girls EVER! The pony was a hoot. But where it fell short was the bad guy. The acting and secret were great, but they showed no foundations on how he could do what he did. He did not belong to Baby Corp, so they never cover how he was able to talk or act like an adult. If you can ignore that, the film is rather fun.

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

Black Widow

Despite being shelved for several years, the film was worth the wait. A couple of points will seem off at the beginning but make sense later as more information is revealed. All the fights and stunts are awesome. The interplay between the characters was great. Several teary-eyed moments. One extra scene at the very end of the credits. It soured the experience a little for me, as I could not believe Yelena would be doing the work they imply after all the family went through. Guess I will have to wait for the next film to see what they do with this. 😝

But, overall, it was a lot of fun!

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

Movie Previews 

Turning Red – Teaser trailer – looks awesome! Lol. Love the tagline – “Growing up is a beast.” 

Hotel Transylvania 4 – I LOVE the premise! LOL. Some of the monsters get turned into humans. Bwahahahahahaha!

The Suicide Squad – appears like the original is being rebooted. Looks great so far. I will be seeing it purely for Harley and King Shark! (Voiced by Sylvester Stallone) (Yes, a character that is literally a walking shark!) He looks awesome! Oh! Nathan Fillion is in this! Sweet!

Venom: Let there be Carnage – Yes! A Venom 2 movie! Sweet! Loved all the snark in the first one. Hee!

Have a great weekend!!!

See you in a couple of weeks!

Gloria