Superhero Stuff

  • · · ·

    Book signing on Saturday, May 5 at Mountain Empire Comics …

    I will be signing books on Saturday, May 5 at Mountain Empire Comics in Bristol, Tenn. as part of the store’s annual Free Comic Book Day events.

    I will be signing books from 10 a.m. to noon. I will have print copies of Spartan Heart, Mythos Academy spinoff #1, to sign, along with some (but not all!) of my other books.

    So if you are planning to attend the signing and want a specific book, please email me and let me know which book you want so I can have it on hand. Otherwise, I usually have the first and the most recent book in a series on hand to sign.

    Free Comic Book Day is a nationwide event where comic book stores offer free comics to readers of all ages, hold costume contests, and much more. If you like comics/graphic novels, then I encourage you to check out your local comic book store and see what all it has to offer.

    At Mountain Empire Comics, the store will give away free comics, and there will be a costume contest and vendors set up on the street outside.

    JULY 28 BOOK SIGNING AT ROB-CON

    I will also be signing books from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 28 as part of ROB-CON at the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn. The con (which runs from July 27-29) will feature dozens of authors, comic book artists, vendors, and more, so if you love comic books/fantasy/etc., you might want to check it out.

    As always, a big thanks to Robert Pilk for hosting me at these events.

    Hope to see you there! 🙂

  • · · ·

    Rob-Con 2017 appearance on July 29 …

    I will be one of several authors, artists, and more appearing at Rob-Con 2017. The convention runs from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 29-30, at Viking Hall in Bristol, Tenn.

    I will be signing books Saturday only — July 29 — from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. I will have copies of Snared to sign, as well as copies of my other books.

    Also, T-shirts are available featuring the Rob-Con graphic, created by artist John Hairston Jr.

    A one-day pass is $10; a two-day pass is $15; kids under 10 get in free. A costume contest will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday. More information is online here.

    Also, one of the special guests this year is Timothy Zahn, who writes Star Wars novels and more. An event will be held with Zahn on Friday, July 28. Visit the Rob-Con website; the Rob-Con Facebook page; or email the organizers for more details.

    Hope to see you there! 🙂

  • ·

    Movies, movies, movies …

    6 Comments

    Is it just me, or are there a lot of good-looking movies coming out this year? I don’t go to the theater all that much, maybe two or three times a year, and usually just to see the Marvel superhero movies or the latest James Bond movie. It’s just easier to stream a movie or get the DVD.

    But this year, there are several movies that I want to see in the theater. Here are some of them, and I’ve linked to some of the trailers as well:

    the-lego-batman-movieThe LEGO Batman Movie — Feb. 10 — This looks really fun. If it is half as entertaining as the trailers have been, it will be one of the best Batman movies ever.

    Beauty and the Beast — March 17 — The original animated Beauty and the Beast is one of my all-time favorite movies. I hope this one is just as good.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 — May 5 — The first movie was so much fun, and this looks like more of the same. I’m also hoping that the soundtrack is as good as it was for the first movie. Plus, is there anything more adorable than Baby Groot?

    Wonder Woman — June 2 — We are finally getting a Wonder Woman movie. Enough said.

    Spider-Man: Homecoming — July 7 — I’m not a huge Spider-Man fan, but I enjoyed his appearance in Captain America: Civil War. And I like the fact that this is not another origin-story movie but rather Spider-Man already being Spider-Man.

    Dunkirk — July 21 — Wheezley really likes World War II movies, and he wants to go see this. Me too. It’s based on a true story, and it looks really intense.

    Thor: Ragnarok — Nov. 3 — Thor isn’t my favorite Marvel character, and the other Thor movies are just so-so. But Tom Hiddleston is always great in these, which is one of the main reasons why I watch them.

    Justice League — Nov. 17 — I did not like Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and I’m hoping that this one is much better. At the very least, it looks like it has a much lighter and a much more fun tone.

    What about you guys? What movies are you looking forward to this year?

  • · ·

    Do you binge?

    4 Comments

    Note: This post will also appear tomorrow at Magical Musings.

    Earlier this year, I finally subscribed to Netflix. I know, I know. I’m a couple of years behind the times.

    But for the first time, I understood why people binge-watch TV shows. Just … one … more … episode!

    In the space of about a month, I watched both seasons of Marvel’s Daredevil, along with Marvel’s Jessica Jones. Since then, I’ve tried some other shows, including Marvel’s Luke Cage, which premiered in late September, and I’ve watched some episodes of shows that I already follow.

    But I find that I don’t always do the same kind of binging when it comes to reading.

    Rocket Raccoon Chasing TaleOne of my goals over the summer was to finally (finally!) whittle down my TBR pile, especially when it came to all the comics/graphic novels. And I did that. I read a lot of comics over the summer, including Rocket Raccoon Volume 1: A Chasing Tale by Skottie Young and Jake Parker, some Deadpool, several different Captain America series, and more.

    But I didn’t sit down and read them all back-to-back-to-back, and I didn’t read just comics. I also read some contemporary and paranormal romances, action-adventure thrillers, and young adult books.

    So why don’t I binge on a certain series or a certain genre when it comes to reading?

    When it comes to a TV show, I want to know what’s going to happen to the characters next, and the Marvel shows are very good at ending their episodes on cliffhangers to keep you watching. Plus, in some ways, a season of a TV show feels like a book to me, especially the superhero-type shows that usually feature a big bad villain who is defeated by the end of the season. When I get to that last episode, I feel like I’ve finally seen the whole story (at least for the current season), and I can set it aside and move on to something else. Plus, sometimes I just want to laze around on the couch and watch TV. 🙂

    When it comes to a book, I still want to know what’s going to happen to the characters, but I also want to absorb the words and story, especially if the characters are really interesting, or the book has some great, snappy dialogue. I tend to savor the experience of reading a good book a little more than I do watching a TV show. And I like to read in one genre, then read something else in a different genre. The variety just makes reading a little more fun for me.

    What about you guys? Do you binge-watch, binge-read, or both? What are some of your favorite movies, TV shows, and book series to binge?

  • ·

    Fall reads …

    8 Comments

    Today, I thought that I would share some of the books that I’m looking forward to reading this fall. Note that the descriptions are from Goodreads.

    Sunset in Central ParkSunset in Central Park

    by Sarah Morgan — out now

    In the chaos of New York, true love can be hard to find, even when it’s been right under your nose all along…

    Love has never been a priority for garden designer Frankie Cole. After witnessing the fallout of her parents’ divorce, she’s seen the devastation an overload of emotion can cause. The only man she feels comfortable with is her friend Matt—but that’s strictly platonic. If only she found it easier to ignore the way he makes her heart race…

    Matt Walker has loved Frankie for years but, sensing how fragile she is beneath her feisty exterior, has always played it cool. But then he uncovers new depths to the girl he’s known forever and doesn’t want to wait a moment longer. He knows Frankie has secrets and has buried them deep, but can Matt persuade her to trust him with her heart and kiss him under the Manhattan sunset?

    My thoughts: I enjoy reading contemporary romance (I’m a sucker for a good rom-com movie), and this is the second book in Morgan’s new contemporary romance series, after Sleepless in Manhattan.

    Three Dark CrownsThree Dark Crowns

    by Kendare Blake — out now

    Every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

    But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.

    If only it was that simple. Katharine is unable to tolerate the weakest poison, and Arsinoe, no matter how hard she tries, can’t make even a weed grow. The two queens have been shamefully faking their powers, taking care to keep each other, the island, and their powerful sister Mirabella none the wiser. But with alliances being formed, betrayals taking shape, and ruthless revenge haunting the queens’ every move, one thing is certain: the last queen standing might not be the strongest…but she may be the darkest.

    My thoughts: I love reading epic fantasy young adult books, and this one sounds really interesting.

    Black WidowBlack Widow Vol. 1: S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Most Wanted

    by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee — out on Nov. 8

    They wowed you with Daredevil, now the Eisner Award-winning team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee take Black Widow to new heights -by forcing her to go on the lam! Natasha has a lifetime of secrets, and when some of the darkest ones are made public, nobody is safe. As S.H.I.E.L.D. turns on its once greatest asset, she seeks out her own answers in a knockdown drag-out tale of action and espionage! But will the Widow’s hunt for the Weeping Lion send her back to the one place she never wanted to go? And, when a S.H.I.E.L.D. funeral makes the assembled top brass an attractive target, it’s lucky for them that the Black Widow is still on their side, even if they aren’t on hers.

    COLLECTING: BLACK WIDOW 1-6

    My thoughts: I’m always up for a Black Widow story, and I’ve heard good things about this storyline.

    What about you guys? What’s on your TBR pile this fall?