Davy Jones... RIP My Daydream Believer

I was stunned when I found out Davy Jones had died yesterday. He was a powerful presence from my childhood that I will sincerely miss. I LOVED the Monkees, they were my one of my most favorite shows when I was kid. On my local station it was syndication heaven... The Monkees, the Munsters, the Addams Family and the Banana Splits Show. All in a row!! I could not ask for a better schedule.

I crushed on Davy big time, that voice, that smile and those eyes accentuated with the sparklies. ;) He was the littlest Monkee, the sweetheart who won over most of the girls and I just loved him. He made my six year old heart beat faster. I wanted to color with him and imagined having him play dolls with me and of course, sing to me. Yes, I was a born seductress. Of course, I hadn't a clue at the time that he and the rest of the band, Mike, Mickey and Peter, had all moved beyond the show, LOL

Here's a few of my fave Monkees moments and songs in honor of Davy.





And here's a clip from the ep entitled Monkees in a Ghost Town. Look who have as the thugs: The Wolfman himself, Lon Chaney Jr. and Len Lesser...Uncle Leo from Seinfeld.

Catch Fire...CassaFire Is Here!

While we're partying here for Alex, I'm blogging over at the Amber Quill blog today about music and writing.

Whoo Hoo!! The highly anticipated sequel to one of the hottest sci fi books ever, CassaStar, is finally here! Cue the fireworks, strike up the heavy metal band. Congratulations to our Captain Ninja, Alex J. Cavanaugh, on this spectacular day.

I cannot wait to read this and want to wish Alex all the success in the world. Here's a little bit about CassaFire

CassaFire

by Alex J. Cavanaugh

Science fiction - space opera/adventure

Print ISBN 978-0-9827139-4-5, $15.95, 6x9 Trade paperback, 240 pages

EBook ISBN 978-0-9827139-6-9, $4.99, available in all formats

CassaStar was just the beginning…



The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.



The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities.



To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

CassaFire is the sequel to Cavanaugh’s first book, CassaStar, an Amazon Top Ten Best Seller:

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal



Visit Alex at his blog

CassaFire is available now at
Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Amazon Kindle

Friday!!! Time To Get Your Groove On

Yes! It is finally, finally, Friday. Yesterday was a horrible grind and I really do believe some people come with a built-in Suck Factor of 100. However, I'm not about to go on a sarcastic rant because I want to kick off the weekend in a fun way. So I'm going to share nothing but good things today.

I have two film reviews up. The first is for the awesomely creepy Woman in Black. This is truly one of the best horror films I've seen. The second is for Mulberry Child, a powerful documentary about a woman recounting her tragic childhood during Mao's Cultural Revolution. Jian Ping's story is powerful, poignant and a testament to the strength of the human will.

Since it's Friday, that also means it's time for another edition of You Should Know. I just met this blogger recently and he's already made a huge impression on me. Jay Noel has a mindblowing site called Jay Noel: Writer on Fire. Writer on fire, I just love that name, it's so exciting and passionate. His bio says he loves science fiction, fantasy, literary fiction, biographies and chocolate chip cookies. I could get on board with that. His first book, The Dragonfly Warrior, will be out this summer. Yay! It is the first in a series called The Mechanica Wars.

And now to help you get your groove on, I am spinning Come Dancing by The Kinks. This was my introduction to this legendary band and I still love this song. It puts me in a happy mood whenever I hear it. Enjoy and have a kick ass weekend.

Fat Tuesday Celebrations And Good Things

Happy Fat Tuesday! It's a day for eating those fruit-filled paczkis, drinking too much and other fun stuff before the somberness of Ash Wednesday. If you celebrate, hope you are having a fabulous day!

I took yesterday off for a total Me day. I think after the last few months, I deserved it. I took myself to the movies at the gorgeous AMC River East theater, with the uber-plush seats and the art deco interior. Saw the early showing of Woman In Black and I had the whole theater to my lonesome. It was perfect and the movie was seriously intriguing and creepy. I'm doing a review soon. Then I attended a couple of informative lectures at my alma mater, DePaul University. I learned how to give a good elevator pitch and the key ingredients for maintaining a positive outlook as you transition your career. I am trying to find something in the non-profit sector, although really, my entire life has been non-profit. LOL

The superbly brilliant Craig Edwards over at Let's Get Out Of Here posted a truly wonderful review for my erotic werewolf thriller, Maxie Briscoe: Werewolf. Thank you, Craig, you rock!

He even posted the review at Amazon for me. I could seriously kiss him. Until he posted his review there, the only review posted was for another book entirely. I have been trying to get it taken down, but no one seems to respond to emails and requests. Arrgh! Honestly, what is going on. I think I'm going to have to do some more digging around to figure out how to get that false review gone.

My good friend Sloane Taylor had a recent new release with Love Notes. A fiery, erotic tale set in Venice during Carnival. American Clancy is on her dream trip to Venice, thoroughly enjoying all the magic the city has to offer. She never imagined the masked stranger who saved from an accidental dunking in the Grand Canal would also prove to be a dream lover. Hmm, mysterious strangers, Venice and Carnival, I'm there! Love Notesis available now from Musa Publishing.










Friend to the Imaginarium, KC Kendricks also has a new release. Her newest sensation is Eye of the Beholder, a M/M erotic tale set in New York City about two young men, one new to the city, the other a jaded local rediscovering the joy of his hometown once more.

And finally, next week on February 28, will be the Catch Fire blog tour for Alex J. Cavanaugh's new release, CassaFire, the sequel to his brilliant space opera tale CassaStar.

Have a great Fat Tuesday. I am going to gorge on some delicious paczkis from the local bakery here. Yummm... :)

Author M Pax Is Taking Over

Thank you to Melissa for letting me borrow her Imaginarium today. I was thinking about doing a post on great science fiction love stories, but couldn't think of one besides Han and Leia. Wow, that needs fixing, huh? Anyway, while researching on the webs, I stumbled across this scientific romance thing and found it interesting enough to share.

Science fiction as a term for the genre of scientifically-oriented fantastic fiction, was made popular in 1929 by Hugo Gernsback publisher of the first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. The Hugo awards are named for Hugo Gernsback, by the way.

Before the genre was called what it is, the genre was called scientific romance. H.G. Wells claimed this is what he wrote. Popular in the mid 1800’s, Wells and Verne are the most well-known examples. The Enlightenment Era of scientific discovery led to the creation of adventurous tales in fantastic settings using scientific devices and discoveries.

Many of these stories also fall into the “imperialist adventures” category. Some of my favorites are Journey to the Center of the Earth [Verne], Erewhon by Samuel Butler, The Time Machine by HG Wells, and She by Henry Haggard. Edgar Rice Burroughs and Sir Arthur Doyle were also prominent writers in this genre.

What changed for the genre was the end of Imperialism. Then came film. The scientific romances were popular at the movies for awhile, Tarzan and The Lost World being the genre’s swan songs. Then debuted Metropolis in 1927, dubbed the first “true” science fiction film, introducing the public to futurism and the dystopian tale. The term scientific romance hasn’t been used since.

Do you have a favorite scientific romance? Did you know about how the Hugo got named? Did you learn something new? I did. Thanks for making me do some research on the webs, Melissa. :)

 

M. Pax blogs at Wistful Nebulae and at MPax-TheWebsite. She spends her summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory and has a slight obsession with Jane Austen. Author of Semper Audacia and the free reads Plantgirl, Translations and Small Graces. Coming in 2012: The Backworlds, Stopover at theBackworlds' Edge, The Tumbas and The Augmentation of Hetty Locklear.

Thank you, M! This was an absolutely fascinating post. I had no idea there was such a term as scientific romance. I love Wells and Verne. M, you rock as a teacher so feel free to take the reins here any time you want.

Sex In Outer Space...And My Valentine Winner

Catchy title, isn't it? Well, actually, that's the theme for my post over at the awesomely brilliant Stephen Tremp's Breakthrough Blog. We're doing a switcheroo, he took over the Imaginarium yesterday and I'm invading Breakthrough today. And yes, my topic really is Sex In Outer Space. Top that!

And now for my Valentine winner. This was a hard one to do as I just loved the comments, so I entered everyone in my famous Atomic Randomizer 10,000. My super-cool,ultra high-tech gadget of the century has chosen... Craig Edwards!

Yay!! Cue Kermit the Frog cheers.

Thank you all for playing. Craig, email me melbwriters@gmail.com with Valentine in the subject line and let me know your choice of story.

Author Stephen Tremp

Thank you Melissa for hosting me today as part of my Grand OPENING Tour! I'm looking forward to yours and your followers comments as this is an exciting topic that so many people are talking about:

"This porridge is too hot," Goldilocks exclaimed.

So she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.

"This porridge is too cold."

So she tasted the last bowl of porridge.

"Ahhh, this porridge is just right!" she said happily.

And she ate it all up.

"Goldilocks and the 3 Bears" children's story

The Goldilocks Zone: A region of space where stellar and other conditions favor life. It’s the habitable zone that’s “not too much” or “not too little” that would otherwise make conditions impossible for life. Rather, it is the zone that is “just right,” where liquid oceans and a thick atmosphere exist. Our good ol’ planet earth lies in just a Goldilocks zone, where life can not only exist, but flourish. Just take a look at our nearest neighbors who orbit outside our Goldilocks Zone. Venus (too much) is a scorched wasteland and Mars (too little) is a frozen desert. No life there at the moment.

Note: The Goldilocks Zone is being defined and fine-tuned as we discover life in extreme conditions, such as near boiling hot springs, temperatures below -60C, caves without light, water with high sulfuric acid content, and deep sea volcanic vents hot enough to melt lead. And we do not know if and how life can exist under other conditions somewhere else in the universe. Translation: Scientists are discovering life can thrive in unexpected places.

Also: The Goldilocks Zone can be misconstrued to limit our understanding for the requirements for life as the only ones for life. There may very well be other life forms that are based on silicon. And other chemical reactions may thrive in entirely different Goldilocks Zones.

BTW: The Kepler telescope (more on this amazing NASA mission in a future post) has identified 2,326 candidate planets and 139 are potentially habitable ones.

Example: On February 2, 2012, a large, rocky planet orbiting a distant star in a "Goldilocks" zone -- not too hot and not too cold for liquid water -- is also classified as a "super Earth."

The planet orbits closely to its parent, a dwarf star that is part of a triple star system, and receives 90 percent of the sunlight Earth receives. But since most of that light is in the infrared part of the spectrum, the planet absorbs more of its energy, in the end equaling the amount of energy Earth soaks up.

According to the article in the Orange County Register, “it's close enough that a futuristic, nuclear-powered space probe could reach it in perhaps 200 years. Then the equivalent of a "smart, Droid cell phone" could start beaming back pictures. In two or three human lifetimes, the information could come back from your hardy little cell phone," he said.

Question: Do you believe there is something or someone else out there in the universe? Or are we Earthlings as goo as it gets?

“A scientific breakthrough of such magnitude it could radically alter the future of humanity—for better or worse—is in the wrong hands”

Stephen Tremp, author of the BREAKTHROUGH series, has a B.A. in information systems and an MBA degree in global management. Stephen has a background in information systems, management, and finance and draws from this varied and complex experiential knowledge to write one-of-a-kind thrillers.

His novels are enhanced by current events at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and other scientific research facilities around the world. These potential advances have the ability to change the way we perceive our universe and our place in it!

Stephen Tremp is author of the recently released suspense thriller OPENING, the second book in the BREAKTHROUGH series. You can visit Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs for $1.99. Opening is available for download at:

Amazon for $1.99
Smashwords for $1.99

Image Credits: Goldilocks Zone and Goldilocks


Wow! What kickass killer post! Thank you so much Stephen. You can come back here any time you want. And Opening has just moved to the top of my Must Have list.