#IWSG : Alex Cavanaugh's Blog Tour

       I'm off the hook today--besides, me?  Insecurities?  Hah!  Well, never mind about that.  Instead I'm hosting everybody's blog friend--the great Alex J Cavanaugh.   It's all yours, Captain.

Thanks for hosting me today, Lee!

I started the IWSG for writers, but insecurities aren’t exclusive to us. Everyone possesses doubts and fears, including our characters. So rather than discuss my insecurities (which I already did today on my own blog) I’m going to share those of my main characters.

Mevine: 

A talented young man, he decided to veer from his family’s political heritage and pursued a science career instead. Despite his intelligence and achievements, Mevine questions his personal value. He is also awkward, overeager, and lacking certain social skills. This strikes yet another blow to his self worth. Eager to please, he longs for a friend and someone who will believe in him. (A girlfriend someday would be nice as well!)

Athee: 

A skilled pilot from an affluent family, she is confident and comfortable with herself. However, Athee has suffered loss, including both parents and her only aunt. She fears losing the ones she loves. This fear drives her to extreme measures; even resorting to irrational behavior to protect those close to her heart. (Oh yeah, she does something really crazy in CassaFire!)

Byron:

The returning hero - a solitary pilot of exceptional talent, especially in his ability to perform multiple teleportation jumps. Byron never trusted anyone until he met Bassa, and unfortunately he lost his navigator and friend during the war. While he has matured and grown over the years, the pilot still keeps others at a distance, claiming a need for privacy. Byron fears another terrible loss as much as he fears connecting on a personal level.

With those insecurities, can you envision how the characters come together in the story?

And sorry, Mevine. No girlfriend for you - yet!

What’s your main character’s insecurity? Anything similar to what plagues Mevine, Athee, or Byron? And what do YOU think will happen to these characters in CassaFire? Might be a little messy...

Visit the author’s site and leave a comment during his book tour for a chance to win CassaFire, CassaStar, and a CassaFire tote bag and mug!

CassaFire

by Alex J. Cavanaugh

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…

Available now!

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

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

You can visit the author’s site at Alex J Cavanaugh

CassaFire is available from the following:

Barnes and Noble - 

Amazon - 

Amazon Kindle - 

Be sure to visit the other blogs participating in the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

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New A to Z Videos--Where's Yours?

         The A to Z Video Contest submissions have been rather slow and did not reach the volume that I had anticipated when the idea was conceived.  However we still have another few days left for you to submit your video.  We are accepting videos until this coming Sunday night March 11th.

         This year the video contest aspect was an experiment that I won't deem a failure because it did generate some very creative entries.  If you haven't watched all of these videos be sure to go to the video tab on the A to Z Blog page and watch the ones that have been sent in so far.

          On today's post I am happy to present the two latest videos  received yesterday (Sunday March 4th).
Take a look at these creative efforts and enjoy.

          First up, we have an arty look at A to Z that incorporates a literary approach to describing the Challenge accompanied by some lovely visuals.  This video comes from Reka at A Chronicle of Dreams.




        Next up a very different approach made by Tracy Jo Blowers from A Brand New Day.   She's assisted by her husband Terry whose blog  Introspection is well worth a visit.



          Hope you've enjoyed these new videos.  Please be sure to stop by all three of the blogs that I've linked to that are associated with the videos.  Let them know that you appreciate the efforts they put into making these.   And I hope I can be recognizing a few more of you video makers in the days to come.

          On Wednesday I'll be hosting a very special Insecure Writers Support Group stop from the group's founder and a co-host of the A to Z Challenge, Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.  Be sure to join us then.   And don't forget to post your own entry of insecurity.

   

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Why You Should Use Twitter

Image via Wikipedia

                                                                Image via CrunchBase


   Most of us are now faced with the quandary of which social media platform is the best one to be on and as a consequence we join more than one, and in some cases many.  Twitter is running a close race with Facebook and for many is the social networking platform of choice.  I have finally given in and caught the Twitter bug.

       I'll be honest about this--I don't entirely get it.  When I'm on the Twitter page I see a lot of random messages that seem to have little interconnection.   Sometimes there is interaction like brief instant message exchanges, but mostly it seems to be users saying random things to no specified person or promotional bits touting some book, product, or link.

       There were times when I was scrolling through the tweets that I would find a potentially interesting link that I would visit.  I did find a few items that caught my attention and even found a couple of blogs that I ended up following.  But quite frankly I mostly just skimmed through the tweet lists and most of it just whizzed past my eyes in a blur.  A person could just sit all day following tweet links.  And it looks like some people are tweeting links all day--sometimes over and over.

        So I'm probably having some of the same thoughts that some of you are having.  And my approach to my initial tweeting experience is based on what I saw others doing.  What is the primary purpose of tweeting? Is there a right or a wrong way to approach the Twitter message?

         Rosalind Adam, one of my blog friends, greeted my arrival on Twitter and then added  "Twitter's an excellent way of getting feedback and chat but it's not for just selling."  


         She was a bit miffed about the practice of some Tweeters of only promoting product and suggested that she might stop following some of those who were doing only this.  I can understand some of her frustration as their were times when I felt like I was looking at an online version of newspaper classified ads with some that were duplicated periodically.  I for one ignored these for the most part.  I'm wondering if sales result from these promo tweets?   Or is it like a repetitive message that gradually embeds its way into ones psyche for later retrieval?


        There were a few instances of banter that I saw and I even engaged in a few brief exchanges.   However with so much going on it feels like being in a crowd or at a party where everyone is talking at once and any real meaningful conversation gets lost in the hubbub.  Do you ever have an exchange of substance?  Or do you merely joust in inanities and minor pleasantries?  


         Then I saw a lot of quotes and absurd statements.  That's mostly what I ended up doing as I engaged in experimentation.  I wanted to see if I could generate interest in my Thursday post on A Faraway View by interjecting cryptic mentions of "Federal Duck".   In a sense I was trying to test the medium as a means of messaging a concept that might stimulate curiosity and draw readers to the post later.  I did get some new readers so I guess my attempt worked in a minor way.   Then again, maybe "Federal Duck" sounded so inane that most people just ignored it as stupid.  Well, I thought it was funny and I think I came up with a few clever lines, so if nothing else I entertained myself.


        So is that a big part of not only Twitter, but much social media--especially social media in the short form such as Twitter?  Are we mostly just tossing our words out there hoping that someone will latch on to something?  Does most of our twitter chatter fall on deaf eyes unless we are Angelina Jolie's leg or Lady GaGa or some such entity?   And even then, are they idle words that fill a temporary space in time with little lasting value?


         Is Twitter most effective as marketing, communication, or fulfillment of self?   I'm curious to hear from those who have more experience with this or who have given the Twitter concept more thought?  I often walk through life in bewilderment and like to see if the explanations that others give me can clarify the way I see things.    So what can you tell me?   How can I best spend my Twitter time?  Or should I run away and not look back?


        Oh and by the way, don't forget to click my Twitter button in the sidebar--there are two of them.  I want more followers.  It will increase the odds of somebody hearing this Bird tweet.

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