Miscellaneous/Music Monday

Howdy folks, just wanted to poke my head out of the sand and see how everyone is doing. This is going to be on of those 'hodge podge' posts, so pick what you like and ignore the rest. :)

--I hope everyone had a nice Father's Day. We've been so busy with work/business around here that we totally forgot to send a card to my dad. Not that he cares, but that's not the point. I did manage to give him a call, though, so I'm not a totally terrible son. (haha!)

--Anyone else watching Mad Men? I think I've mentioned before how I got sucked into this show, catching up on five season in two weeks time on Netflix. I'm a sucker for "period" shows/movies...especially anything set in the 60s or 70s. As much as I've enjoyed the show in the past, I'm having a hard time continuing to watch it and I think it's because of the main character.

Don Draper has proven, time and again, that he's not a very likable protagonist. I mean, he cheats on his wife, yet berates her for kissing another man in the line of duty. She's an actress on a successful soap opera. I realize that they tell you why, exactly, Draper is the kind of man he is via flashbacks to his youth, but still...he's not a character I can sympathize with in any respect. I'm pretty sure that's intentional on the writer's part.

Regardless, Jon Hamm is great in the role and the entire cast is equally impressive. I'll stick with it, but I'm hoping they wrap things up, soon.


--We saw Man of Steel this past Friday (along with everyone else in the country, it seems) and I had some quite a few reservations going in but, thank goodness, they were unfounded. Just goes to show you that you can't trust the reviewers. Most are movie snobs, anyway.

Regardless of what you may have read, this flick is pretty darn good (in my opinion) and stands head and shoulders above Superman Returns.....even though I thought Kevin Spacey made a great Lex Luthor. Well worth the time if you're looking for a well done action movie.


--I've been looking for a local writing group, down here in Vero Beach, Florida so, if anyone in the area knows of any....

--Also, on the writing front I've been working pretty diligently on my new project. It's tentatively titled Last Chance and will involve super-heroics in the old west town of.....Last Chance, Wyoming. It's circa 1850s, which will mean a bit of research as to how life was lived (generally speaking) back then. Things are coming along and ideas are forming, so I think it's all heading in a very positive direction.

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For today's Music Monday offering, it's back to the Surf Music craze (stop rolling your eyes!!! ) with one of the great groups of the era....The Ventures (with special guest, Peter Frampton).

To go along with my old west project, here's on their huge hits... Apache.

Have a great week!

Overcoming Adversity Reveal / Music Monday

A couple of weeks ago, Nick Wilford over at Scattergun Scribblings, came up with a little blog hop to help raise some money for his stepson's education. His stepson, Andrew, has cerebral palsy and his choices of colleges aren't as wide or varied in Scotland as we have here in America.

To that end, the goal of the hop was to gather material for a book Nick was planning and use the proceeds to help Andrew further his education.

I was happy to help out with a (last minute) entry and even happier to see the project come to fruition.

So, without further ado....I give you Overcoming Adversity. 

Take it away, Nick.....

A collection of seventy moving and uplifting original pieces - real life, flash fiction, and poetry - about battling against the odds and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. The contributors include Amazon bestselling authors Alex J. Cavanaugh and Kyra Lennon, and the cream of upcoming talent.

 The anthology is part of a fundraising effort to send the editor's stepson, Andrew McNaughton, to a specialist college in England. Andrew has cerebral palsy, and is a remarkable young man with a promising future. However, the free further education options offered in his own country of Scotland will not challenge him and allow him to progress. In order to access the education he deserves, Andrew will have to pay exorbitant fees, thus creating a situation of discrimination. 

Help us get Andrew to college by buying a book that runs the full gamut of human emotions, ultimately leaving you inspired and glad to be alive. Whatever struggles you are going through, our sincere hope is that this book will help.

"But Mark", I hear you thinking (I can, sometimes hear your thoughts, yes), "just where can I get my hands on this amazing anthology?"

Well, I'm glad you asked that....because Overcoming Adversity can be found at....

Amazon U.S.

Amazon U.K

Smashwords

Goodreads

 So head over and buy a copy...or two...or three...and enjoy some great stories on Overcoming Adversity. It's for a great cause.

Best of luck to Nick and Andrew!


I'll leave you, this Monday, with some cool music that's been running through my brain all weekend.

If you follow along on my other blog, you've seen how I've recently re-discovered my love for "Surf Music". Having grown up listening to The Ventures, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, as well as many others (thanks dad), it was only natural that I carry my fondness of this music genre with me through and into my, ahem, later years.

So, if this doesn't get you going or, at the very least, your foot tapping then go back to bed!

The Ventures: Pipeline

Have a great Monday!