Steven M. Moore's Blog, page 149
July 8, 2015
Movie Reviews #16…
Terminator Genisys. Alan Taylor, dir. This series is as tired as Schwarzenegger looks. We have had a rash of series “extensions,” from Bourne to Ice Age and minions. It’s all a wee bit tiring and shows that very little originality is left in Hollywood. (With all the good books out there, is it just laziness or a shared myopia with traditional publishers, only betting on the “sure horses” even when they’re ready for the glue factory.) That Damon-less Bourne flop should have been a lesson to th...
July 7, 2015
The missing Saudi pages…
For all readers who love conspiracies, here’s a real-life one for you: Nearly fourteen years after 9/11, all the report about that horrific day has been released except for twenty-eight pages classified as Top Secret. It turns out that these missing pages focus on the involvement of the Saudi government’s role in the attack. If what’s written there isn’t damaging to the Saudis, why are these pages Top Secret? Looks like the media might be dancing to the same conspiracy band too—the media roos...
July 6, 2015
U.S. soccer team prevails…
What a way to celebrate Independence Day! Congrats to the U.S. women’s team in winning the World Cup over Japan, 5-2, with three goals by Carli Lloyd in the first sixteen minutes. I expected it to be a lot closer. Congrats to the Japanese team too for hanging in there the whole game after that initial onslaught. Everyone showed class, greatness, and awesome sportsmanship. On to Rio!
July 3, 2015
News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #94…
I wish for all a safe and enjoyable July 4th weekend! Please drive safely and drink in moderation as you celebrate the country’s Independence Day.
Item. More than Human: The Mensa Contagion. We’re about to hit the publish button for my new sci-fi novel. It offers a twist on an alien invasion story as well as exploring our final frontier. Here’s the blurb: “People of Earth! You’ve just won a complete makeover of your society that brings peace and prosperity. What will you do next?” “Why, go to...
July 2, 2015
The danger of being predictable…
I read more than I write. Maybe some authors don’t do that. There’s some justification. They want to ensure they develop their own voice, for example. They don’t want to be confused with other writers. They want to avoid the critique that they write like so-and-so. There can be many reasons, some good, some bad, and some a wee bit silly. But I read a lot and have always noted that some writers become predictable. I’ve noticed that so much that I’m constantly questioning whether I’m committing...
July 1, 2015
Mini-Reviews #9…
[In keeping with my new policy of posting reviews of some of the ebooks I casually read here instead of on Amazon, these are reviews of two interesting mystery novels from across the pond. How I love them, from the local settings of England, Ireland, and Scotland, to the unusual characters and great mystery tradition of Agatha Christie, P. D. James, Ian Rankin, and many others. You’ll find great writers over there; their success explains why it’s so difficult for Yankees like me to get a toeh...
June 30, 2015
Irish Stew #41…
Item. The death knell for states’ rights? Two cases SCOTUS recently considered can be filed under “federalism v. states’ rights.” Both had the potential of doing irreparable damage to this country if the SCOTUS’ conservative majority upheld states’ rights. The first case was a lawsuit against the federal government’s right to establish healthcare insurance subsidies in states led by conservative idiots who refuse to establish their own—affordable healthcare for millions hung in the balance in...
June 26, 2015
News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #92….
Item. Countdown to countdown. Teeter-Totter between Lust and Murder, #3 in the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series,” is a Kindle Countdown Deal from July 1 through July 7. The $2.99 price will be reduced to $0.99 for this short time. Here’s the elevator pitch: Does Chen commit murder? The long answer is surprising. Look for it. Note: This is more mystery than thriller. (It’s not my first mystery, by the way. The first was The Secret Lab, a YA sci-fi mystery taking place on the ISS in the...
June 25, 2015
Indie writers, book bloggers, and book reviews….
I’ve been trying to schedule some book reviews for More than Human: The Mensa Contagion, getting a head start before the book is released (real soon now). As usual, I first scan reviews of similar books, try to find some reviewers on that famous Amazon top reviewers list, and peruse Simon Royale’s list on The Indie View. Here are some comments about what is going on right now in the reviewing world.
Item. What do I look for in a book review? First, I really don’t look at book reviews when I b...
June 24, 2015
Mini-Reviews #8…
[Note from Steve: Two different books that are additions to series for your reading enjoyment, but with two different results…]
Ashes. Kelly Cozy, author. First book in a series. (Smite, 2013, 978-0-9851234-5-1) The obvious pseudonym is misleading. This isn’t a cozy mystery. It’s not even a mystery. It’s a thriller, at least half of it—the other half reads like the clinical records of a mental patient.
The story begins when Jennifer Thomson becomes the last of a dozen or so survivors of a ter...
