The Long Harbor Testament by Tom Minder

The Long Harbor Testament by Tom Minder ~ I like the easy way out. It is hard to write a fair review for a friend's book. On the one hand, you have loyalty to your friend and a desire for him to be successful in his endeavor, especially when you're in the same field. On the other hand, you want to be honest about the work and not mislead your readers. This decision is always easy when the book in question is actually good, and not just good, pretty darn good, especially for a first novel.

The Long Harbor Testament was a delight to read, not just a compelling read, but a fun read. I breezed through quickly and recommend it just as quickly. Suspenseful, thrilling, clever, and fun, this is a winner full of crime, religion, and junk food. Tom has given me an easy way out, by writing a terrific book, and I hope you find that out for yourself.

The Long Harbor Testament can be purchased at Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, or direct from Black Rose Writing. Don't forget to check out Tom's website, his Facebook page, his Twitter, and you can also read an interview Dawn Byrne of the South Jersey Writers' Group conducted with Tom here, all good stuff.

The Camden Comic Con 2017

Next Saturday, April 8th, 2017, the place to be will be Rutgers University in Camden NJ, because it's Camden Comic Con time. I've done my time at comics conventions in Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore, and I've even gone to those sad little hotel ballroom comics shows, so you know I know this field, so let me tell you, the Camden Comic Con is the best.

Run by Bill Haas and Miranda Powell, among others, this show rules. This will be its fourth year, and my fourth year attending and participating. My partner in The GAR! Podcast, Ray Cornwall and I have been there every year recording during the show and witnessing the fun and the cool as it happens. This year we'll be doing the same, and even moderating a panel as well. In all my time podcasting and convention going, this event is my favorite. Besides our recording during the event, there is also a strong presence at the show of Biff Bam Pop! and the South Jersey Writers' Group. Look sharp!

You can find out more about the Camden Comic Con right here, or at their Facebook page and Twitter. Guests this year include Larry Hama, Fred Van Lente, Bryan J.L. Glass, Neil Vokes, Diana Leto, Mark Poulton, Dean Haspiel, and others. There will be panels, gaming, cosplay, and even food trucks. Did I mention that it's free? Yeah, baby, free!

You can hear the episodes of The GAR! Podcast recorded at the first three Camden Comic Cons right here.

More Prince, and Coast to Coast AM

I was numb all day yesterday. I just couldn't believe it was true. I did my duty though. I wrote about it here, and I wrote about it on Biff Bam Pop! right here, and even did a short episode of The GAR! Podcast on it found here and here. I had to leave the South Jersey Writers' Group's Open House last night early because I was just worn out, and who knows, just maybe a bit depressed as well. When I got home, MTV was playing Prince videos, and then Purple Rain, still I was devastated, but unfeeling really. But it didn't really hit me that Prince was gone, until I was in bed listening to my nighttime nemesis Coast to Coast AM.

I had tuned in to the later half of the program, which sometimes, if we're lucky, will have some content of what Coast to Coast AM used to be known for. Otherwise it's typical radio drivel, the same old same old. Coast used to be unique, now for the most part, it's boring. But every once in a while, we old fans will get a scrap of what used to be. The guest last night was rock historian R. Gary Patterson. And of course the king of no-research, host George Noory.

Now I don't blame Patterson for saying it was Vanity was in Purple Rain instead of Apollonia, that's an easy mistake, especially for someone who admittedly had only a passing knowledge of Prince. He was a bit after the man's time, and Patterson does know his stuff when it comes to older rock stars and their mysterious deaths - I bow to him in that area.

It was George that infuriated. I can understand if he didn't do any show prep. Noory never does any show prep, no matter what he says. He comes in to interviews as empty-headed as he leaves, as if his mind was a sieve. Perhaps that's why details of Prince's life, that had to have been all over the news all freaking day, somehow eluded him. Yeah, he asked all the stupid questions that that seemingly unique person who had never heard of Prince would ask.

I was embarrassed for the guest, I was angry at Noory, and that's when it hit me, that's when the tears came. We've lost Prince, as surely as we've lost Coast to Coast AM, and David Bowie… Prince is gone. And when people stop talking, and when the radio and TV stop playing, he will still be gone. And, anger at a lousy dying radio show aside, I will still be mourning.

Marvel Morning Coffee

This past Friday I had the opportunity to speak with friend, fellow writer, and TV host Kristin Battestella at the RadioVision Network on their program "Morning Coffee." The topic was Marvel, in the movies, on television, and other media platforms.

We discussed Ant-Man, Avengers: Age of Ultron, the films that have worked, and those that have not. In the second segment we talked "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Agent Carter," and in the third segment, "Daredevil" and the rest of the Netflix series.

We also go off topic a bit talking about Ben Affleck's viability as Batman or Daredevil, what's good and about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as what's coming up in the future. You can see it right here. Good times, it was an awesome chat, with shout outs to Biff Bam Pop! and The GAR! Podcast. Thanks to Kristin, Morning Coffee, and the RadioVision Network.

The GAR! Podcast at the Camden Comic Con 2015

On March 7th of 2015, The GAR! Podcast recorded episodes live at the Camden Comic Con for its second year in a row. This local comic convention has grown in a very short time to one of the events in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area, and is personally the best such event I've ever attended, and that includes shows in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York. The Camden Comic Con rocks.

I'm presenting here a compendium of coverage of the Camden Comic Con from both The GAR! Podcast and Biff Bam Pop!, hopefully you'll be able to find what you're looking for.

The first episode featured interviews with Marie Gilbert and Sarah Hawkins-Miduski of both Biff Bam Pop! and the South Jersey Writers' Group. Sarah also wrote a terrific review of the Con here. Our guest for the con, and my old partner on The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast, Allison Eckel, and I also talked about the phenomenon of Batgirl-ing, "Teen Titans Go," and the new TV costume for Supergirl. You can check it out at GAR! here and BBP here.

The second episode featured a very special interview with comic creator and writer Bryan J.L. Glass, who talked about the end and origins of Mice Templar; the craft and passion of writing; the creative philosophies of Robert McKee, Joseph Campbell, and Christopher Nolan; worldbuilding; finding the right ending; and yes, even Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. Bryan is a friend, and he rocks. You can check it out at GAR! here and BBP here.

The third episode recorded live at the Camden Comic Con featured an interview with Justin Piatt of Unlikely Heroes Studios about Super!, along with some discussion with guests Allison, her son Thomas, and our official intern Frank Kamina Castle about comics and videogames. You can check it out at GAR! here and BBP here.

The fourth and final episode recorded at the con, and released just yesterday, featured interviews with Mark Poulton, Matthew Catron of Locust Moon Comics, and some cool bathing in the afterglow of the con with organizer Miranda Powell and friend of the show and writer/editor for Pronto Comics, Dennis Knight. Please check out Mark Poulton's Kickstarter. Our guests also talk about what they loved most about the con. You can check it out at GAR! here and BBP here.

And for coverage of the 2014 Camden Comic Con, you can see it here, here, and here. Good times.

What I Liked in 2014

There was a lot to like this year and a lot to dislike, but I'll try to keep this positive.

In television this year we probably witnessed some of the best TV ever made in HBO's "True Detective," a show that also did the impossible, and made me like Woody Harrelson. Probably the best take on a comic book superhero happened late in the year in "The Flash," which in turn spun out of "Arrow." Also in the comics realm and improving with every episode is "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Please click on the links for my regular reviews of those shows.

This year I also dug "The Affair, " "Black Sails," "Power," "Penny Dreadful," "The Newsroom," "The Comeback," and the sadly canceled and much-maligned "Selfie"

As far as movies go, I loved Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, proof positive that the superhero genre in film has grown up and proved it can be more than it's been in the past. A close tie with those films would be the small and powerful horror flick The Babadook that I really loved. Also on my good list this year would be The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden, Jodorowsky's Dune, and Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel. On the bad side would be This Is the End, which of course would be my main reason for not wanting to see The Interview.

I haven't read all that many comics this year, but I would have to give serious props to Grant Morrison's Multiversity comics, which I not only read, but also enjoyed immensely. As far as real books, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Marie Gilbert's Roof Oasis and the newest South Jersey Writers' Group anthology Reading Glasses, and the two best books I've read this year are Wrapped in Plastic: Twin Peaks by Andy Burns and Murder on Edisto by C. Hope Clark.

For more of my views and those of the staff of Biff Bam Pop!, check out the newest Biff Bam Popcast on the best and worst of 2014 right here.

Roof Oasis by Marie Gilbert

Marie Gilbert is a dear friend, and one of the most beloved members of the South Jersey Writers' Group. She has been instrumental in the birth and maintenance of the South Jersey Writers' Group Blog, as well as being one of the biggest boosters and sellers of the SJWG anthology Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey, in which her craft is also featured.

You've also seen her work at Biff Bam Pop! every week. There the Steampunk Granny regularly reviews cool stuff like episode by episode recaps of "The Walking Dead," "Bates Motel," "True Blood," and "Orphan Black" among others.

Marie also writes for Go Jane News, her interviews and ghost investigations are top notch, and has aided me in several blog tours. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she is an inspiration to us all. Marie rocks, and we love her, but now we have an extra special reason to be proud of our Steampunk Granny - she's now a published novelist.

Let me tell you all about Roof Oasis. Marie Gilbert's first novel is the tale of twins Michael and Lucy caught in a world devastated by bio-warfare that has inadvertently created zombies. As the hordes of the seemingly undead close in, the twins find that their only salvation may lie within a Victorian mirror hidden in the attic of their family home. You can read more about the novel here.

Roof Oasis: An Apocalyptic Tale (Volume 1), by Marie Gilbert, is available as a paperback from Amazon here and also on Kindle. The cover design and illustration is by friend and fellow SJWG member Shelley Szajner. Details about the upcoming book release party in June can be found here. Check out this great new novel by this terrific author.

Tethered Book Trailer

"Tethered" the new book by friend and fellow South Jersey Writers' Group member, L.D. Davis



Release date: April 4th, 2014.

RIP Harold Ramis

Actor, writer, and director, Harold Ramis passed away today, much too young, at the age of 69. The name might not ring a bell at first for some folks, but for others, the man defined comedy for a generation.

I first became aware of Harold Ramis from "SCTV." In my youth, the show aired a 1 AM, right after the original "Saturday Night Live," and was known by me and my friends as 'the secret SNL.' We called it that because most folks turned off the TV when SNL was over, they didn't know about this treasure. "SCTV" was a skit show set under the premise of a fictional Canadian TV network, and featured performers from Chicago's improv troupe, Second City, from which coincidentally half of the original SNL cast was from as well.

Harold Ramis was the head writer of the show, as well as working for Playboy and National Lampoon. From this starting point, he began form his comedy technique, and began writing film. Animal House, Stripes, Meatballs, and Caddyshack (which he also directed) all came before Ghostbusters.  

Ghostbusters was huge when it came out, I don't know if anyone remembers how big it was. At the time it had a pop cultural impact similar to Star Wars, everyone knew the lines, and everybody had the t-shirts, and everybody was humming the song that would eventually make Huey Lewis richer.

Later he would come into his own as a director and producer as well, with such films as Vacation, Analyze This, a favorite of mine, Someone to Eat Cheese With, and The Ice Harvest. He would also do his final film with Bill Murray, probably their best film, Groundhog Day, a piece of brilliance that the two men disagreed on how it should be done. To this day, it's probably what has kept Ghostbusters 3 from happening.

We've lost one of the greats, both behind and in front of the camera, who made us laugh and made us think. Harold Ramis will be missed.

The South Jersey Writers at the Collingswood Book Festival

Tomorrow, October 5th, is the 11th Annual Collingswood Book Festival, one of the biggest events for writers and readers in the South Jersey area. You can check the website for the schedule and guests, but I'm here to talk about some specific local guests - the South Jersey Writers' Group.

The South Jersey Writers will be at Space #52 on Haddon Avenue, from 10 AM to 4 PM, so please stop by, say hi, find out about the group, and maybe buy a book or two. Last year, the group published the anthology Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey, which is available in paperback on Amazon, select local coffee shops, other vendors, and at the Collingswood Book Festival tomorrow.

Members of the South Jersey Writers who will be hosting at our table tomorrow include Amy Hollinger, Krista Magrowski, Mieke Zamora-Mackay, Dawn Byrne, Sarah Miduski, Ava Easterby, James Knipp, Krista McKay, John Faquhar, Shelley Szajner, Christine Hardy, Laurie Strucke, Jessica Walsh, and some guy named Glenn Walker. Click on any of the above names to find out more about these great writers and their work.

The South Jersey Writers' Group, founded in 2006, provides networking and development opportunities for local writers in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area. The group meets regularly several times during the month for topic-based discussion about the craft of writing and the publishing industry.

The group has just opened its doors to new members, and welcomes writers of all ages, backgrounds, genres, and experience levels. Among the events offered by the group are Write-Ins, Topic Discussions, Critique Sessions, Book Signings, Author Appearances, and Blogfests. For more information on the group, visit the website, Like them on Facebook or Follow them on Twitter.

We hope to see you tomorrow!

The Writer's Chatroom Presents C. Hope Clark

C. Hope Clark is founder of FundsforWriters, a well-known writer's reference for grants, contests, markets, publishers and agents for the serious writer. The website and newsletters have existed for fourteen years, and been recognized by Writer's Digest Magazine in its 101 Best Websites for Writers for thirteen of those years. 42,000 writers receive her newsletters each week.

She's published in Writer's Digest, Writer's Market, Guide to Literary Agents, The Writer, as well as multiple trades, glossy mags and numerous Chicken Soup books. She's been interviewed often by both writing and business websites, and speaks to writing conferences throughout the United States. Her book, The Shy Writer: An Introvert's Guide to Writing Success, continues to sell steadily.

She is also author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series. Lowcountry Bribe is the first in the series published by Bell Bridge Books. The mysteries describe federally employed Carolina Slade's sleuthing abilities throughout rural, rarely seen South Carolina settings, facing crimes not found in your typical mystery. Her follow-up, Tidewater Murder, is now available too, and absolutely rocks. The third book in the series will be released in 2014.

Read more about Hope and Carolina Slade at here website.

I will be interviewing Hope and moderating the chat, as I have for over a decade now, tomorrow night (September 29, 2013) at 7 PM EST. Just go to The Writer's Chatroom and click on "Enter Chatroom," no password is needed. Hope to see you all tonight night!

RIP Elmore Leonard

We have lost another living legend, this time a god among writers, award-winning novelist Elmore Leonard has passed away. He's written over fifty novels, a handful of short stories and screenplays. Movies and television shows have been made for dozens of his works.

Among his writings are some of the subtle masterpieces of our time, including Rum Punch (filmed as Jackie Brown), Gold Coast, The Big Bounce, Get Shorty, Be Cool, the short story 3:10 to Yuma (filmed twice), Out of Sight, 52 Pick-Up, Hombre, Mr. Majestyk, Riding the Rap, and more than a few novels that inspire the TV series "Justified."

When I think of the written western or crime fiction I think of Leonard as the master. When I was in college, and stubbornly insisting I wanted to be a writer, a professor told me, "If you want to write fiction, read Elmore Leonard," suggesting it was education by example.

I can't get it together to say much more. We have lost one of the greats. Click here and I'll share his ten rules of writing, quite possibly the best writing advice ever given. Elmore Leonard was one of the masters, and there'll never be another like him.

RIP Karen Black

Earlier today I found out that actress Karen Black had passed away via a Tweet from my good friend Andy Burns, also editor-in-chief of Biff Bam Pop!. Another Tweeter's response was that he had no words. That's how I feel. We've lost one of the good ones, a legend of the genre. Karen Black died yesterday in Los Angeles from ampullary cancer at the age of 74.

When I said genre, I am of course talking about the horror genre. Karen Black probably most remembered film is one where she played a tour de force of four characters in Dan Curtis' TV movie of the week Trilogy of Terror. It was at the aforementioned Andy Burns' website, Biff Bam Pop!, that I talked about how that film still scares the crap outta me. You can read that here.

While it's true she made her share of horror films, notably Trilogy, and Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses among others, it's a fact she never stopped making movies. But of all the films Ms. Black has made, it is the movies of the 1970s that defne her. Hell, one could even say that Karen Black defined film in the 1970s. She changed the way women and sexuality were portrayed on the big screen.

Among her films are some of the best or at least most memorable of the decade, including Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Great Gatsby, Capricorn One, In Praise of Older Women, Hitchcock's last movie Family Plot, and Robert Altman's Nashville. She also starred on stage and on television as well as film. She was a composer, screenwriter, producer, and author of children's books.

I met her once a few years back, at a Chiller convention near the Meadowlands. We were about to leave and I saw this seemingly crazy woman screaming at people to get her something or other. The men surrounding her scrambled. I realized it was Karen Black. She was holding court in the lobby of the hotel.

I was either brave or stupid, so I approached her and told her she was great in Easy Rider and Nashville, and that I loved her in Trilogy, even though she scared me to death in it. She was kind, and soft spoken, and thanked me, even shook my hand. Moments later she was barking at underlings again, but to me, and other fans who approached her she was an angel.

That's how I will remember Karen Black - a kind loving woman who adored her fans. Not the psychopath possessed by a Zuni fetish doll. And that's probably for the best. We've lost one of Hollywood's great actresses, and she will be missed.

The Robin Renee Blog Tour - Wrap-Up

Wrapping things up here on the Robin Renee Blog Tour, and I want to thank everyone involved. Special thanks goes out to all the folks who participated and helped with to tour, including, and not limited to, Shelley Szajner, Marie Gilbert, Becca Butcher, Patti O'Brien, Fran Metzman, Ray Cornwall, Andy Burns, the South Jersey Writers, the GAR! Podcast, Biff Bam Pop!, and especially to Robin Renee herself. You all rock, very hard! Thank you!

Here is a breakdown of the stops on the Blog Tour.

Robin Renee is interviewed by Shelley Szajner here about inspiration, Kirtan, and This..

Marie Gilbert runs down some of the places where Robin can be found on the internet here.

Becca Butcher gives her thoughts on the This. release here.

Here, I give a song by song review of This., along with Robin adding her thoughts and observations as well.

Patti O'Brien talks about Robin's music, and then interviews her about her travels here.

We return to Welcome to Hell, where guest blogger Fran Metzman interviews Robin about her influences, inspirations, and creative process. See it here.

Over on the South Jersey Writers blog, Marie Gilbert returns to interview Robin about encouragement, inspiration, and the ups and downs of a music career.

Robin was a guest on The GAR! Podcast where discussion included DEVO, David Bowie, Saturday Night Live music moments, and the creative process. You can listen to the episode here.

And finally, you can go here for the Biff Bam Pop! interview with Robin Renee, with a few edits for space considerations showing up here.

Robin can be found at her website, and on her blog, and check out her music at CD Baby, and at iTunes. Follow her on Twitter here, and Like her Facebook page here.

And don't forget about Robin's terrific new single "All I Am," now available at CD Baby, with 20% of the proceeds going to the You Will Rise Project.

Thank you, everyone!

The Robin Renee Blog Tour, Stop Eight and Beyond

Just a reminder, today's stop on the Robin Renee Blog Tour is at the South Jersey Writers blog, Tall Tales and Short Stories, you can check out regular site blogger Marie Gilbert's interview with Robin there.

Probably as you read this tonight, my partner Ray Cornwall and I will be interviewing Robin on The GAR! Podcast, and that will be posted tomorrow morning as Stop Nine on the Tour.

On Friday, be sure to check out the Robin Renee interview at Biff Bam Pop!, then come back here on Saturday for the close of the tour.

Robin can be found at her website, on her blog, at CD Baby, and at iTunes. Follow her on Twitter here, and Like her Facebook page here.

Richard Matheson 1926-2013

We have truly lost one of the legends of the writing game. Celebrated multiple award-winning author Richard Matheson passed away this weekend, surrounded by family and friends. He was 87.

Even if you didn't know his name (shame on you!), you know his work. Here is just a sampler - the following movies are all based on his work - The Incredible Shrinking Man, Somewhere in Time, What Dreams May Come, Real Steel, Trilogy of Terror, The Box, Loose Cannons, The Legend of Hell House Burn Witch Burn, Jaws 3-D (hey, a paycheck is a paycheck), and the these last three, all based on the same novel, The Last Man on Earth, The Omega Man, and I Am Legend.

That's not all, all of the good "Twilight Zone" episodes that weren't written by Rod Serling, they're all Matheson too. He wrote hundreds of short stories and books, and countless hours of television in many different genres, including episodes for "Star Trek," "Combat!," "Have Gun Will Travel," "Thriller," and "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour." Other than "The Twilight Zone," possibly his two greatest contributions to television were the Steven Spielberg-directed Duel and The Night Stalker, which became a fondly remembered cult TV series.

We have lost another legend.

The South Jersey Writers' Group 2014 Anthology

Welcome to the South Jersey Writers' Group!

About the Group

The South Jersey Writers' Group, founded in 2006, provides networking and development opportunities for local writers in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area. The group meets regularly several times during the month for topic-based discussion about the craft of writing and the publishing industry.

The group welcomes writers of all ages, backgrounds, genres, and experience levels. Among the events offered by the group are Write-Ins, Topic Discussions, Critique Sessions, Book Signings, Author Appearances, and Blogfests. For more information on the group, visit the website, Like them on Facebook or Follow them on Twitter.

The Next Big Adventure

In December 2012, the group published their first short story anthology, Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey, which is available in paperback on Amazon, select local coffee shops, and other vendors. The book was a labor of love, but it's highly entertaining and showcases the diversity of our writers. It turned out to be a neat little book, and for being such a hyper-local focus, sales are still going really well, and it has generated a lot of interest in the literary community of South Jersey.

Now we're planning the next one, taking the lessons learned and building on success. The 2014 Anthology will feature longer, more intricate stories, aligned along a theme or within a genre. With the support of our backers, we'll be able to pay the authors and designers for their talents and skills.

We are doing this through Kickstarter, a terrific way to raise money for creative projects and also offer great incentives to those who donate. We are trying to raise $3000 by June 23. The details are here, along with the many incentives available depending on the amount of your donation.



Upcoming Book Signings

July 13 at Book Asylum in Blackwood NJ, 12-3 PM

September 14 at Authors on the Greene in Smithville NJ 11 AM - 5 PM

October 5 at the Collingswood Book Festival in Collingswood, look for our table.

November 2 at Bogart's Books & Cafe in Millville NJ 10:30 AM - 2 PM

Please see our schedule for added events and details.

Now Accepting New Members

The South Jersey Writers' Group is accepting new members through the end of June. The special discounted fee for half-year membership is $15, and then will be closed until October. Act now!

Contact Info

Amy Hollinger

Marie Gilbert

southjerseywriters@gmail.com

www.southjerseywriters.com

The South Jersey Writers Present Nicole Wolverton

The South Jersey Writers' Group brings debut novelist, Nicole Wolverton, to the William G. Rohrer memorial Library in Haddon Township, NJ.

On June 4, 2013, Tuesday, at 7:00 pm, the South Jersey Writers' Group will present Nicole Wolverton, for a special discussion about her acclaimed debut novel, The Trajectory of Dreams, and her journey to publication. Learn more about her writing process and a secret or two about managing on-going projects and the writing life. Ms. Wolverton and the South Jersey Writers Group will be at the William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, 15 MacArthur Boulevard, Haddon Township, NJ for this special event.

The Trajectory of Dreams, a psychological thriller about the downward spiral of Lela White, a sleep lab technician who believes she is on a secret mission to save the revitalized U. S. space program from fatal accidents. The Trajectory of Dreams addresses the themes of family dysfunction and mental illness, sparks serious questions about how much anyone can know about the interior life of coworkers, friends, and significant others. Told from the point of view of Lela, who suffers from insomnia and delusions, it is impossible to tell what is real and what is not.

Publisher’s Weekly calls it “a skillful mainstream examination of a psychotic woman’s final descent into insanity.”

The Trajectory of Dreams is available in paperback and e-book versions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, and local independent bookstores. Published by Bitingduck Press, LLC in March 2013.

Nicole’s short stories and flash fiction have appeared in Black Heart Magazine, The Molotov Cocktail, and Penduline, among others. In addition to writing fiction, she is founder and managing editor of Farm to Philly, a website devoted to locally grown foods and sustainable living. She resides in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area with her husband and small cadre of pets. For more information on The Trajectory of Dreams and Ms. Wolverton, visit her website.

The South Jersey Writers' Group, founded in 2007 provides networking and development opportunities for local writers. The group meets regularly during the month for topic-based discussion about the craft of writing and the publishing industry. The group welcomes writers of all ages, background, genre, and experience level. For more information on the group and when the next membership enrollment will be, visit their website or follow them on Twitter.

In December 2012, the group published their first short story anthology, Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey, which is available in paperback on Amazon, select local coffee shops, and other vendors.

Press release written by Mieke Zamora-Mackay, please check out her blog here.

And be sure to check out the Kickstart for the next South Jersey Writers' anthology here.

A Film with Me in It

A Film with Me in It ~ I discovered this flick quite by accident. I was surfing through the channels one afternoon and saw Dylan Moran. I love Dylan Moran. He's the best part of Shaun of the Dead, and "Black Books" is one of my favorite Britcoms of all time. The film was just at the beginning, so I settled (watched what little I missed in a later viewing) in for what was sure to be entertaining. I was hooked immediately by this dark dark comedy.

Mark, played by this film's screenwriter Mark Doherty, who lives with his girlfriend and handicapped brother in a flat he's having trouble keeping. Pierce, his ne'er-do-well friend played by Moran, is a wannabe screenwriter with whom they are trying to write a movie. When Mark's life begins to unravel, a series of accidents kill several people in his flat in quick succession. As Pierce struggles to 'fix' things, very dark hilarity ensues.

High tension, high comedy, dialogue perfect for Moran, direction by Ian Fitzgibbon that apes Hitchcock slyly, this is a fun, but very dark flick. I loved it. This may not be for everyone, but I thought it was great.

The South Jersey Writers Read on Video

From the Courier-Post online, here are excerpts from the South Jersey Writers' anthology, Tall Tales and Short Stories.