Monday, June 17, 2013

Near perfect movie day

Yesterday was Father's Day, but my dad was on a train (still is) on the way back from Saskatchewan, and so all I could do was call him. I had plans with my brother and his family, but one of the kids had a fever, so those plans fell through.

My first instinct was to get some work done. So many things to do... But then I thought, "You deserve a day off!"

So I gave myself one, and I went to the movies.

And I saw 3. :) It almost felt like film fest time.

First stop: This is the End.

I loved this movie. I thought I might be making a mistake going to a film like this at noon, and not under the influence of anything but coffee... but I found it hilarious.

Was it silly? Sure. Was some of the humor juvenile? Of course. Is it Shakespeare? No.

But it was also a pretty tightly told story, with a lot of snappy dialogue and so many references and cameos I'm sure I'd have to see it a couple more times before I caught them all. Whether you like Seth Rogen or not as an actor, dude can write. And dude is willing to poke fun at himself, his friends, his lifestyle.

Highly recommend if you want a good laugh. My favorite actor send up was either Jonah Hill or Michael Cera. Both really let themselves be skewered in different ways and I found the film versions of them very funny. I guess the Michael Cera send up was a bit reminiscent of Neil Patrick Harris in the first Harold and Kumar movie...  But it went a little further and was so, so, funny... Oh, and Danny McBride who I normally hate... His character version of himself was also very funny. So was James Franco's version of himself. And how obsessed he was with Rogen. Okay. Just thinking about this, I'm remembering how funny this was.

Overall: Had tears of laughter much of the time. The dialogue is surprisingly subtle and smart. Would see it again.

Second stop: Man of Steel.

I liked this movie, too. But wasn't blown away.

I found out this morning that my great friend Molly O'Keefe hated it, so I might challenge her to a cage match over at Storytelling Rules... But for now, things I liked about it were:
- image of Krypton, great worldbuilding
- Lois Lane wasn't just a damsel in distress, but a genuine heroine who wasn't TSTL and affected the outcome of the story
- the villain had strong motivation. It's been a long time since I saw the original Superman and I haven't read the comics, so maybe this motivation wasn't new... but I liked this villain. Michael Shannon is always strong and his motivation was too. He was trying to save his people, Superman was trying to save humans. That's some damn good conflict, IMHO.

Third stop: Before Midnight.

If you're not familiar with these movies, Richard Linklater made this quiet little indie film in 1994, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, about a young couple who meet on a train and decide to spend an evening/night walking around Vienna together. He's American and flying home from Vienna in the morning. She's French, and on her way home to Paris. It's called Before Sunrise and it's excellent if you haven't seen it. Very romantic and probably my favorite of the three.
Then about 9 years later, he made Before Sunset, which showed the pair 9 years later, wandering around Paris for a few hours. To say much more about that one, would be spoilerish. But like the first one, it's excellent. The dialogue and acting are actually pretty astounding in these films. And the chemistry between Hawke and Delpy is hot.
Before Midnight is an end to the trilogy... and shows the pair as a married couple, 18 years after they first met on that train. Saying they're married is somewhat spoilerish for the first two films, but I don't think it really ruins anything. Things aren't perfect between the couple, and they spend a good chunk of the film fighting, but the dialogue and acting were once again great, and I loved the parts where they weren't fighting. This is the first film in the trilogy where we see them interacting with other characters, (rather than just themselves), and the dinner scene, with couples of different ages, in different stages of their relationships was probably my favorite part. The shots of the Greek Island they're on were wonderful too.

Then I went home and watched Mad Men and The Killing.  (Forgot about the True Blood premiere...)

Yes, it was kind of a perfect day. :)

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Compliance release day!

Yes, my book with the business-like and/or kinky title (depending on your perspective) has been released into the wild!

Speaking of the title, I'm busy answering some FAQs for my soon to be revamped website and so I thought I might address the title one right here.

Q: The title for the second book in The Dust Chronicles is Compliance. What's that about?

A: To be honest, we struggled to come up with a great title for Book Two. In the world of the series, the defacto police are called Compliance Officers, or Comps. In the second book *minor spoiler alert* Glory is training to be a Compliance Officer so it seemed like an apt title.
Initially, Book Two was called Shredders. Shredders are the sadistic scab-covered monsters that exist in the world, but since they don't play a large part in the plot of Book Two (there will be more--lots more--about Shredders in Book Three) I didn't think that Shredders would properly represent the story, even though I thought it was an awesome title.

I also like the meaning of the word Compliance and how it fits with some of the themes of the book. i.e. How long will people continue to comply, when the rules and regulations are unreasonable? When do the ends justify the means? And, to risk getting spoilerish, can someone force compliance on others?


More info or buy now!


Compliance (The Dust Chronicles #2)
June 4, 2013 (Skyscape, an imprint of Amazon Publishing)
ISBN:  978-1477816530

Spine-tingling danger, heart-pounding romance, scab-covered monsters! 
The Dust Chronicles has it all!


To celebrate the release, I'm running a Giveaway!!! Tell your friends. (Even if that might decrease your odds of winning, you'll win karma points, which is way better.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Compliance Release Day!!!!

I can't believe how quickly this release date has come!

I'm thrilled to announce that COMPLIANCE goes on sale tomorrow, June 4, 2013.

If you've pre-ordered the kindle version, it might show up on your kindle in less than 12 hours!

More info or buy now!


Compliance (The Dust Chronicles #2)
June 4, 2013 (Skyscape, an imprint of Amazon Publishing)
ISBN:  978-1477816530

Haven Equals Safety. This slogan is emblazoned on the minds of every Haven employee. But for Glory, life inside Haven is anything but safe. Most of all, she must hide her Deviant gift--the ability to kill with her eyes--or face death. 
Training to be a dreaded Compliance Officer, she secretly works undercover to save fellow Deviants, but when people she trusts turn against her and a powerful member of Management takes her under her wing, Glory questions everything she believes and can no longer tell her allies from her enemies.

Spine-tingling danger, heart-pounding romance, scab-covered monsters! 
The Dust Chronicles has it all!



And if you haven't read DEVIANTS, yet. Great news!

Your procrastination has paid off!

DEVIANTS is on sale at Amazon! Both in the US and Canada.


In Canada, only the audio and kindle versions are on sale, but if you're in the US, or can order from the US store, amazon.com has the hardcover version for DEVIANTS on sale for less than $3.00!!!! Wow. What a bargoon.

And to celebrate the release, I'm running a Giveaway!!! Tell your friends. (Even if that might decrease your odds of winning, you'll win karma points, which is way better.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway





Subscribe to Maureen McGowan's mailing list

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Monday, June 03, 2013

One More Sleep!!!

Spine-tingling danger, heart-pounding romance, scab-covered monsters! 
The Dust Chronicles has it all!

I can't believe how quickly this release date has come!  I'm thrilled to announce that COMPLIANCE goes on sale tomorrow, June 4, 2013.

If you've pre-ordered the kindle version, it might show up on your kindle in less than 12 hours!

More info or buy now!

Some advance praise for COMPLIANCE:

"This love triangle will leave readers giddy with anticipation. I’m actually still bouncing up and down in my seat like a five year old." 4 1/2 stars, Read Dream Relax.com




And if you haven't read DEVIANTS, yet. Great news!

Your procrastination has paid off!

DEVIANTS is on sale at Amazon! Both in the US and Canada.


In Canada, only the audio and kindle versions are on sale, but if you're in the US, or can order from the US store, amazon.com has the hardcover version for DEVIANTS on sale for less than $3.00!!!! Wow. What a bargoon.





To celebrate the release, I'm running a Giveaway!!! Tell your friends. (Even if that might decrease your odds of winning, you'll win karma points, which is way better.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Subscribe to Maureen McGowan's mailing list

* indicates required








Email Format

Saturday, June 01, 2013

Newsletter! Goodreads Giveaway!

Well, I've finally done it. Almost. I have a newsletter!!!

At least I've set up a newsletter signup sheet. It's a start.  Next step, an actual newsletter.

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And there are still a couple of days to enter the Goodreads Giveaway for COMPLIANCE!



Goodreads Book Giveaway


Compliance by Maureen McGowan

Compliance

by Maureen McGowan


Giveaway ends June 03, 2013.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win



If you haven't read DEVIANTS yet, here are a few things you should know:


  1. While the story does go over 3 books, each of them stands alone. So you can enjoy COMPLIANCE even if you haven't read DEVIANTS! (And then maybe you'll be curious enough to read DEVIANTS second to see how it all started.)
  2. DEVIANTS is on a big-time sale right now at Amazon.com (kindle, hardcover and audio) and on Amazon.ca (kindle only on sale, last time I looked.) I'll put links below for your convenience.
  3. I forgive you. ;)





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