L.M. Preston's Blog, page 14

X-Men: Days of Future Past - Movie Review

THEY just KEEP getting Better and Better
Movie Blurb by Fandango: In order to prevent a grim future in which mutants and their human sympathizers are systematically hunted and killed by towering, unstoppable robots called Sentinels, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) travels back in time to change the course of history in this sequel that finds X-Men and X2: X-Men United director Bryan Singer returning to the helm.
The film opens in a dark and desolate future that was set in motion in 1973, when brilliant scientist Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) created a series of giant robots called Sentinels for the sole purpose of wiping out mutants, whom he claimed were a direct threat to the human race. Although initially programmed solely to target mutants, the Sentinels soon began eradicating humans who possessed the DNA to breed mutants, and eventually, any mortal mutant sympathizers. Desperate, Prof. Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) devise a plan to have Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) send Wolverine back to the year when Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) assassinated Trask -- it turns out that Mystique inadvertently accelerated the Sentinel program when she was subsequently captured by Sgt. William Stryker (Josh Helman), who succeeded at harvesting her DNA to make the robots more powerful than ever before.

Upon arriving in the past, Wolverine quickly seeks out a much younger Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), as well as Beast (Nicholas Hoult) and Quicksilver (Evan Peters), and together they help break a young Magneto (Michael Fassbender) out of a heavily fortified prison cell hundreds of feet beneath the Pentagon. Meanwhile, with the help of Havok, Ink, Toad, and Spike, Mystique is already moving in for the kill. Although Wolverine, Beast, Charles, and Magneto manage to thwart the assassination, Charles and Magneto once again find themselves at odds after the latter attempts to alter the plan at the last moment, creating a mass panic during a post-Vietnam War peace summit in Paris. And Dr. Trask, still fuming from having had the Sentinel program rejected by Congress, takes his proposal directly to President Nixon (Mark Camacho), laying the groundwork for an even darker future than the one Wolverine was sent back to prevent. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

MY REVIEW - Oh my gosh! Have they figured out how to make kick butt movies or what? I have to admit, I've seen ALL of these comic book based movies. And the first few attempts were just okay (at best). But this year, they must've gotten some good writers working on these. Let's just say, it's got action, character development, did I say action? Yep, lots of that. Family went to see it and we can honestly say - we didn't want it to end. The flipping forward and backward in time was WELL done! Bravo! Marvel. We all gave it a 5 out of 4 well because we just felt that they put a lot into this movie.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

GodZilla - Movie Review

Hhmmmm.

GODZilla

I really have a history with this creature.

When I was a little girl, I would RUN home to see this show. Yeah, it may have been a man dressed up in a suite, but hey, it was a monster that ripped up streets and fought off BAD Monsters to save us, each and every day.

NOW MY THOUGHTS ON THE MOVIE

The blurb:

The world's most famous monster is pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

Director:

MY REVIEW:

Okay, I admit I had pre-conceived notions about this movie. So I headed off to this with my movie guru hubba and my entourage of teen and tween reviewers. It started with a bang. Yep, I was captured at 'hello'. Then they started building a distorted storyline around the scientist who lost his wife in a blast and the son. It was alright, but there could've been a better woven tale. It was hard for me to really connect with the characters, not because the acting was bad, but because the writing didn't have that much depth. But. I did not care because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was going to be a major monster smackdown fight coming. All Godzilla shows had that, it's what I ran home to watch everyday. Then it happened. The monsters started fighting then 'cut!' boring story part butts in. So the amount of fighting they did was minimum based on what I expected from my old days of Godzilla. Or maybe it just seemed long since I was a kid. Who knows, but with that I add. It was a decent movie. Enjoyable, kept my interest, although my younger kid started to get bored midway in. Out of 5 monsters we voted on a 3 roars.


LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Disclosure In Books

I DID NOT KNOW THAT WAS IN THAT book!
So, how many times have you picked up a book, started reading and was shocked to find out that some SAUCY things were taking place in your Middle Grade or Young Adult book that you were not prepared for.

I HATE THAT!

There were so many books I purchased for my daughters and sons that we read outloud only for me to find out that the back cover did not warn me that there were 'adult themed' topics in my teen or tween books.

THINK BACK

Now thinking back to when I was a teenager, I realized that my dear mom didn't do much in the way of observing what I read. I was 13 yrs old reading Stephen King and every Harlequin Romance I could get my hand on. (tsk tsk)

FAST FORWARD

But my teen daughters are really picky about what should be in their reading and they don't like horror or the adult romances that their mom liked sneaking to read.

BE HONEST MR. PUBLISHER is WHAT I SAY

I appreciate when books disclose what's in them. Let me know if there is adult material (aka - a teen pregnancy in my daughter's YA book - yep that happened). Or a graphic gay relationship in another (yeah, I'd like to know about that in advance - because if it's not my thing, it's not my thing). Sorry, but I too, know we should note violence, but if it's a book about fighting to get out of something - that's pretty much implied. Those other types of shockers above, I rarely see noted in the back cover blurb.

YOUR THOUGHTS?
LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

The Amazing Spider Man 2 Movie Review

I Love me some Spidey! But...
I didn't expect to love this version of Spiderman. I really thought it would be a big ole' redo. So boring. BUT, but , but...



Okay, let me back up and give you the overall picture.
Blurb (Fandango and IMdB): Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious company Oscorp sends up a slew of supervillains against him, impacting on his life.
The web-slingin' wall-crawler hits the screens once again in this follow-up to Marc Webb's 2012 reboot of the series. Andrew Garfield returns as Peter Parker, who squares off against the villainous Electro, played by Jamie Foxx.

As the film opens, we find Richard (Campbell Scott) and Mary Parker (Embeth Davitz) stealing away with some crucial Oscorp files while leaving young Peter in the care of Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben. Flash forward about a decade, and Peter (Garfield) is swinging into action as Spider-Man; having successfully thwarted the hijacking of an Oscorp truck by notorious Russian criminal Aleksei Sytsevich (Paul Giamatti), Peter ditches the costume just in time to meet up with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) at their high school graduation. Despite his deep love for Emma, however, Peter remains haunted by his promise to her late father not to get emotionally involved with her for fear that she could be targeted by Spider-Man's enemies.

Meanwhile, young Harry Osborne (Dane DeHaan) inherits OsCorp and a deadly retrovirus from his father Norman (Chris Cooper), and brilliant but timid OsCorp scientist Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) gets infused with a powerful dose of electricity while attempting to fix a faulty power circuit in the lab. Upon regaining consciousness, Max discovers that he has the power to harness electrical currents - the higher the voltage the more powerful he becomes. When a battle with Max in Times Square shorts out Spidey's web-shooters, Peter goes to work on developing a more reliable model of his signature weapon while Harry grows convinced that Spider-Man's blood is the key to his survival. Later, villainous OsCorp chairman Donald Menken (Colm Feore) steals the company out right out from under Harry, driving the vengeful youth to break Max -- now Electro -- out of the heavily-guarded Ravencroft Institute for a two-pronged attack on Menken and Spider-Man. The stage for that battle is set when New York City goes dark just as Peter declares his love to Gwen, plunging the wise-cracking web-slinger into a fight that could forever alter the course of his life. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
My Review: Well talk about pleasantly surprised. I truly believe these comic book guys are learning to write and script better movies. This was another one that totally exceeded my originally low expectations. I have to admit though, I have a soft spot for Spidey so yeah, I was going to go see the movie anyway. My husband was really skeptical but of course my kids were super on board to go see this one. I have to say though, the actor who played Spiderman has grown into the role. In the first movie it seemed like he and Spiderman were still trying to figure each other out. However, in this movie, he bought his 'A' game and he had to because if he didn't both villians would've stolen the show. The actor who played Harry was really good and I felt for him, really I did - til he turned bad. Yet, he didn't really have a choice now did he? Now with Electro - wow! Jamie Foxx totally nailed his character to the wall. The duality of his character was there, only we didn't really get to see it develop since so many other things were going on. I really enjoyed this version of Spiderman and will add it to my playlist at home. I took a vote from the family and all of us agreed on 4 out of 5 webs for this baby. LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Beautiful Stranger by Alicia Kat Vancil

COVER REVEAL TIME!The Marked Ones Trilogy Book 0.5Beautiful Stranger releasing May 21st!


Patrick Connolly is about to get the one thing he has always wanted…kinda.
We all have that one thing—that one thing we wish for on every first star of the night. Wealth. Fame. Love. For geeky artist Patrick Connolly, it is the attention of his beautiful and seemingly unattainable classmate Nualla Galathea. There’s just one problem—he’s got less than a snowball’s chance in hell, and that’s being generous.

However, when a heated argument erupts in the halls of Bayside Academy forcing Patrick and Nualla’s paths to collide, Nualla surprisingly jumps at the opportunity to be his date. Patrick may think his wish has just come true, but this gentle boy will need more than artistic talent to combat the deadly secrets lurking behind his dream girl’s veil of normality. Like the fact that she isn’t even human.

Beautiful Stranger is a Marked Ones novella that is approximately 20,000 words long.

Goodreads link
About the Author

Alicia Kat Vancil grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley where she amused herself by telling stories to anyone around her—her family, her friends...random strangers. Eventually she actually started writing those stories down instead of just spending hours hanging out in fake Ikea living rooms and telling her friends about them. Somewhere amongst all the character-torturing and epic explosions she managed to get a BFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art University and open a graphics studio (Multi-tasking for the win!).

Kat still lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two very crazy studio cats, and nine overfull bookcases. And when not running a muck in the imaginary worlds within her head, Kat can usually be found performing, watching anime, or hanging out in Twitter chats.

Twitter | G+ | Pinterest | Wattpad | Goodreads | Amazon | Website LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

The Power by Jeff Kennedy!

The Power 




Blurb
What would you do if you had the power to heal but it only brought you personal destruction and ruin? Would you still use it?
When a street shaman meets a horrific demise on Dr. Austin MacLean’s ER table, Austin soon discovers a raw and irrepressible power. But when this power inflicts traumatic effects on three chronically ill children, families rush to accuse him, his colleagues condemn him, and the police begin to investigate in this affluent New Jersey beach town....and so do others when the children begin to show inconceivable progress.Dara Kleows, a local reporter, is the first to connect the children’s gradual healings back to Austin. The two develop a deep bond but Austin remains uncertain as to what this beautiful woman wants. Is she just after a story, or more? There are those who covet Austin’s “power” and at any cost, while Dara is more concerned by Austin’s headlong march toward his own perdition.  



Excerpt
When Austin looked up, he thought he saw a faint corona flicker around DJ. It started growing ever-brighter, and he tried to step back but was pulled closer by some indelible force—an atmospheric hollow drawing his humming body into the eye of an invisible storm. An ear-popping decompression was followed by an overpowering energy surge, his brain and muscle masses engorging with a metamorphic euphoria. Experiencing that spine-chilling “conduit” feeling, he swore as if he were about to be struck by some unseen force. And when DJ looked up, Austinsensed the imminent electrical surge was meant for the boy.
Author Bio
Jeff Hennelly now lives in Chester Springs, Philadelphia, PA. He’s been in the medical device business for over 20 years and has worked with hospitals, clinics, and alternate care facilities from Palo Alto to Prague. His articles and short stories have appeared in numerous trade magazines and journals. He is represented by Eric Myers of the Spielman Agency in New York. His novel, THE POWER was published on Amazon in June, 2013. Look for his new novel, THE 95 PERCENT in 2014.  

JEFF's CORNER



BUY LINK
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Spellbinding-Medical-Thriller-ebook/dp/B00DMHG2RS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396810058&sr=8-1&keywords=the+power+jeff+hennelly
Giveaway

In order to enter to win one of two $5.00 giftcards or a copy of The Power put in the blog comments what you would want your super power to be if you could have one. If you tweet the Amazon link you get an extra entry. Make sure you post your Twitter username in your comment if you do!LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Fairytales with bite! VAMPIRE LIES Fairy Tale Giveaway

VAMPIRE LIESbook 1Blood and Snow Season 2
Release Date: April, 19th, 2014


Summary

Genre: YA Fractured Fairytale
Born of the seven magics, Jasmine is different in every way, including the obnoxious wings on her back courtesy of the original Vampires. She wants to be normal, to be a regular teenaged girl.

When a gorgeous dark-haired boy named Laeddin shows up and promises to sneak her away from all her problems and hide her in the human world, she agrees. 

But an evil lurks in her nightmares, a man with red eyes. It doesn’t take long for Jasmine to realize that no matter how far she tries to run from who she is, he’s only a dream away. He wants her. He needs her. He acts as though he loves her. 

It’s becoming harder and harder to tell the difference between the path that’ll lead to her happily ever after, and the path that’ll lead to her destruction as well as all magic.
Purchase 


About the Author

RaShelle Workman is an international bestselling author. She writes fractured fairytales with bite and young adult science fiction that's out of this world. RaShelle likes cherry pie, movies, family adventures, and chocolate. If you want to get on her good side, send chocolate  RaShelle's sold more than 500,000 copies of her books worldwide. Sleeping Roses has been translated into Turkish. Exiled, Beguiled, and Dovetailed have recently been contracted to be translated into Turkish. 
Her books includeSleeping RosesExiledBeguiledDovetailedBlood and Snow (1-12)The Cindy ChroniclesShort stories:Cindy WitchThe Hunter's TaleGabriel


Connect With RaShelleTwitterFacebookBlogNewsletterPinterest

Click the rafflecopter link to see ways to enter RaShelle's FAIRY TALE Giveaway: 
a Rafflecopter giveaway LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

You Are Not Going To Get Rich Writing! Maybe..

The life of a writer, author, creator of words means a life of ups and downs. Yep, and I must say - I LOVE IT!

However, there is a more realistic side to writing? It's a BUSINESS. Which means that those dreams of becoming a multi-million dollar author who produces Best Sellers, Movies, Product and more...isn't for everyone.

KEYS TO BUILDING YOUR EMPIRE?

1) Learn the Biz as though you were a Literary Agent, Publisher, Foreign Rights Agent, Movie Producer, Script Writer...every aspect.

2) Create a quality product.

3) Pimp your product in the direction of choice (a) Lit Agent on up (b) Self-Publish with help of Lit Agent or Rights Agent.

4) Learn the Subsidiary Business (other places to sell your book)

5) Be creative, tenacious, and continue to pump out good products (one may hit at the right time and place.)

LASTLY, never give up.

LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Oh! My! Gosh! Captain America: The Winter Soldier

 
Oh My Gosh!!!This is a Must See to kick off your Spring Break !




Blurb: 
After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy-the Winter Soldier.Director: Anthony Russo - Cast: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders
My Review.
Truthfully I was skeptical and didn't put this on my 'must see opening night' list - until...my oldest son texted me from the movie theater and said, "Mom! This movie is good. You'll love it."So, I dragged my happy hubby and the rest of my crew to the movie thinking that I would at least be entertained. But stop the phone! This movie had it all (except a serious romance) including a mild flirtation at an attraction. You want action? Got it. You want intrigue and twist? Got it. You want depth of characters? Got it. You want a good story line (no it's not Oscar worthy but it's darn good for a Comic Book Based movie) Got it. Definitately family friendly (if your kids don't mind violence). And...and it's got diversity. Lots of mixture of different types of characters. I-did-not- want the ride to end. 
4 out of five 'shields' because well the storyline was good but not quite Oscar worthy.

LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

The Stone of Valhalla by Mikey Brooks

Welcome to The Stone of Valhalla Blog Tour!A middle-grade fantasy-adventure by Mikey Brooks.
Don’t forget to check out the GIVEAWAY at the bottom this postfor a chance to WIN a $25 Amazon Gift card and other great prizes!
Synopsis:
Aaron was chosen to save their world, but it might come at the cost of losing his own.
Breaking into an old lady’s basement was supposed to reward 13-year-old Aaron with new friends. Instead he finds an enchanted amulet that transports him to another world—one at war with magic. Before he knows it, he is accused of witchcraft and invited to a bonfire—where he’s the main attraction. If that’s not bad enough, a goblin army shows up and toasts the town...literally. The good news: Aaron escapes being charbroiled. The bad news: the goblins are after him. They want his amulet and will stop at nothing to get it. Battling to find his way home, Aaron teams up with a not-so-magical-wizard and learns it’s his fate to destroy the amulet and save this new world. But is he willing to sacrifice his own?Check out what these talented authors are saying about it:
“The Stone of Valhalla is one of those books that only comes along once in a great while. Brooks doesn't just create a world, he puts you inside of it, allowing you to experience the wonder in a way that only he can. His characters are likable and fun. His twists leave you asking ‘Why?’ Treat yourself to an exciting adventure through a beautiful new land. Make new friends and be a part of the magic. This is a book that you will not be able to put down!” —J.R. Simmons, author of Ragesong: Awakening.
 “The Stone of Valhalla drew me in from the get-go. Aaron’s journey is reminiscent of Dorothy’s trek in The Wizard of Oz. Magic, sword fights, danger, and more danger, sprinkled with humor and unexpected twists. This is one of the ‘best’ fantasy adventures I’ve ever experienced!” —BBH McChiller, author of The Monster Moon Series.
“The Stone of Valhalla is a riveting mystery revealing true friendship, loyalty and sacrifice. Brooks engages the curiosity of middle graders and older sleuths alike, until the very end. Fantastic!”—L.R.W. Lee, author of The Andy Smithson series.
Excerpt From: Chapter Two: The Penalty of Witchcraft
Aaron thought he’d been transported to some kind of renaissance fair. People milled about in the street, all dressed like they belonged on the set of some medieval movie. Most of their faces were stained with dirt, and they wore soiled clothing. Large, wooden buildings, held together by plaster, loomed overhead and all around him. Some had signs announcing specific trades and goods. The sweet smell of bread came from one shop, clearly a bakery. A rotund man stood out front, arguing with an old man who had a silvery- white beard and a long, purple cloak. He was telling the baker that the rolls he had purchased tasted ‘day-old’ and he required a reimbursement. Several passersby gave Aaron odd glances. One little girl with a group of women dressed like nuns pointed at him and giggled. He thought he heard her call him a buffoon, but she was quickly shushed by one of the women and pulled into a shop. This is so unreal. Aaron couldn’t figure out what had happened. How did I get here? Who are these people? Aaron waited for someone to jump out and yell, “Surprise, you’re on camera!” It never happened. The seconds drew on like hours, and Aaron stood unmoving like a statue in the middle of the dirt road. The sweet smell from the bakery was drowned by the stench of a sweaty mule pulling a cart packed full with what had to be manure. The wind blew and the wafting smell of poo filled Aaron’s nose. He coughed and tried to cover the reek with his shirt. “Witchcraft! Witchcraft, I say!”Aaron turned around to see a middle-aged woman with only three teeth shouting hysterically. She pointed directly at him. He looked over his shoulder to ensure no green-skinned, broom-commandeering, warty-faced lady in black stood beside him. There wasn’t anyone there. The noise on the street stopped dead except for the woman. She grabbed a small wooden crate from a cart filled with fresh flowers and stood on it. “Fetch the constable! Don’t let him get away, or he’ll set a curse on our town.”Five large men formed a group behind the woman and advanced toward Aaron. He didn’t know what to do.
Where to Find The Stone of Valhalla: Exclusive price for the eBook release is just $2.99! (List Price: $4.99)And only $9.99 for the paperback! (List Price: $12.99)On April 12th2014 the price will return to the List Price
Kindle | Paperback
Another special offer: During The Stone of Valhalla Blog TourMikey’s other great middle-grade eBooks will also be set to the low price of just $0.99!The Dream Keeper: Kindle  |  Nook  |  Kobo The Dreamstone : Kindle  |  Nook  |  Kobo
You’re Invited to PARTY!! The online launch party will take place on Thursday, April 10th at 4pm (MST). The party will run for 2 hours and you’re invited to drop by anytime. The longer you stay the more chances you have of winning prizes! We have slew of eBooks to giveaway, as well as a Stone of Valhalla necklace AND a $25 Amazon gift card! It is hosted by LovingtheBookLaunchParty on Facebook. Just follow this link to join the event: http://goo.gl/Q2Fd3r.
What’s that? Another Party! That’s right! If you’re local to Utah you don’t want to miss this kickin’ party. We are having a launch party to celebrate the release of this awesome new book. Of course there will be plenty of giveaways there too, but what’s even better are the guest authors! Just check out these fabulous names: J. Scott Savage, Chad Morris, Lisa Mangum, Jenni James, Ali Cross, and many more. The Launch Party is: Friday, April 11th from 6-9pm at The Viridian Center in West Jordan, Utah. Follow this link for a map: http://goo.gl/dqVc0u
About Mikey Brooks:
Mikey is a small child masquerading as an adult. On occasion you’ll catch him dancing the funky chicken, singing like a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up. He is the author/illustrator of several books including the best-selling ABC Adventures: Magical Creatures and Bean’s Dragons as well as the middle-grade fantasy-adventure series The Dream Keeper Chronicles . His art can be seen in many forms from picture books to full room murals. He loves to daydream with his three daughters and explore the worlds that only the imagination of children can create. Mikey has a BS degree in English from Utah State University and works fulltime as a freelance illustrator, cover designer, and author. As a member of the Emblazoners, he is one of many authors devoted to ‘writing stories on the hearts of children’. He is also one of the hosts of the Authors’ Think Tank Podcast. You can find more about him and his books at: http://www.insidemikeysworld.com/.
The Giveaways!
Enter the giveaway below to be entered to win one of the following prizes:
$25 Amazon Gift CardThe Stone of ValhallaNecklaceAutographed Paperback of The Stone of ValhallaAutographed 11x17 Postera Rafflecopter giveawayLM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS