Suvudu Universe

I am visiting the delightful Stephanie Faris today with a humorous and snarky piece on giving from the heart.

I’m also at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, outlining what is to come in April.

And I updated my blogroll! It is now alphabetized and in smaller sections. If you're a regular here and don't find your blog listed, please let me know.

New clue today at What Are the Kargrandes? This is clue number twelve – only one more to go! New clues every Monday until the release of Dragon of the Stars on April 7.

Sample Tweets for this week:

What are the Kargrandes? What are their powers? Are they sentient? http://whatarethekargrandes.com/ #whatarethekargrandes @alexjcavanaugh

What are the Kargrandes? Can you solve the mystery by April 7? http://whatarethekargrandes.com/ #whatarethekargrandes @alexjcavanaugh

If you haven’t signed up for the Thunderclap campaign, please do. If you are on either Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr and want to help me spread the word of the release of Dragon of the Stars on April 7, click HERE.


And to celebrate my upcoming release, my publisher will be dropping the price of my third book, CassaStorm, to .99 on Wednesday! So if you haven’t picked it up, later this week will be your chance.

The Machine
Set in the near future, scientist Vincent McCarthy creates a self-aware artificial intelligence modeled after his late assistant. Britain’s Military of Defense wants to use Ava as a weapon though.
This is another quiet, slower-paced film. It explores a lot of issues surrounding life and death. When the military starts training Ava and it bothers her, it raises a lot of questions about what is right and what is wrong, as does the presence of soldiers from earlier experiments who have undergone unique transformations.
The other half of McCarthy’s mental and emotional struggle is his dying daughter. He has been working with the military on AI in hopes of finding a cure for her.
The special effects are good and the movie is well done. It’s one of those smaller films that’s good but not enough to really stick with you. This movie came out in 2013 and ironically there is another film coming out in April that is very similar.
Worth a watch if you’re in the mood.

Michael – Path of Angels by Patricia Josephine

There is only one path.
Born mortal along with his three brothers, Michael is an Archangel with a specific role: hunt fallen angels and send them back to Hell…

Find Patricia and her books at Website/Blog, Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Wattpad

Catalyst by Lydia Kang

Sequel to Control

Purchase it at Barnes and Nobel, Amazon, and Powell’s

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for April! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snarky comments by me.

3 –

Furious 7
Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for the death of his brother.
Director: James Wan
Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham
Early reviews say it’s a fitting tribute to Paul Walker…






10 –

Ex Machina
A programmer wins a competition to spend a week at the private mountain estate of the company's brilliant and reclusive CEO. Upon his arrival, he learns he’s been chosen to be the human component in a Turing Test-charging him with evaluating the capabilities, and ultimately the consciousness, of the latest experiment in artificial intelligence. That experiment is Ava, a breathtaking A.I. whose emotional intelligence proves more sophisticated--and more deceptive--than the two men could have imagined.
Director - Alex Garland
Starring – Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson
Artificial intelligence? Abd she’s named Ava? Now, why does that sound familiar…?

17-

Self/less
An extremely wealthy man, dying from cancer, undergoes a radical medical procedure that transfers his consciousness into the body of a healthy young man. But all is not as it seems when he starts to uncover the mystery of the body's origin and the organization that will kill to protect its cause.
Director: Tarsem Singh
Stars: Matthew Goode, Ryan Reynolds, Natalie Martinez, Michelle Dockery
Considering the director’s track record of doing beautiful looking films that are vapid, they might want to re-title this one Plot/less…

The A to Z Challenge kicks off in just two days! There is still time to join us for the biggest blogging event of the year.

My theme is Cult Classics and I have all the posts formatted and images ready to go. I also have my posts scheduled at the A to Z Blog and the Insecure Writer’s Support Group site.

However, this year will be a little more insane as I have a book release and tour going on at the same time.

I’m still going to aim for my usual blog visits during the Challenge, which is one hundred and fifty a day, spread between blogger buddies, Challenge participants, and commenters. I’ll also have tour stops that are a top priority. I’ve already taken two days off from work to handle the load. (April 1, since it’s both day one of the Challenge and IWSG post day and April 7, since that’s Dragon’s release day.) But there are two other days during the month when commitments elsewhere will prevent me from visiting as many, at least right away.

My promise to everyone is that I will do my best. I may not get to every single post you toss out there, but I will try to get to as many as possible. Know that if you leave a comment, I WILL visit no matter what.

Remember, in addition to cult classic movies, albums, science fiction books, and a term from Dragon of the Stars, I will be featuring one to four blogger buddies every single day!

Plus there will be a giveaway and a scavenger hunt on April 7 to celebrate the realse of Dragon. And some awesome tour stops, all unique and really, really short!

I might even have a blogfest to announce….

Still puzzled by Kargrandes? Picking up some new books? Seen The Machine? Any April movie catch your eye? Is your April going to be just as crazy? Have a plan for coping?

Don’t forget to visit Stephanie Faris and the Insecure Writer’s Support Group!