News on #NewRelease, awesome #CoverArt, and a #signed copy #trilogy #giveaway! From FBC and M.R.Mathias

GUEST POST: News Update & Contest by M. R. Mathias

It’s me, M. R. Mathias again. Sup?

I have a few things going on that I wanted to share with everyone including a new book, new cover art, and a contest.

Firstly, the new book: The Legend of Vanx Malic(Available HERE) is a continuing “serial” type of fantasy affair. After I finished writing The Wardstone Trilogy, I still had several months to go before I would be released from prison. I did not want to lapse in my religious routine of penning three thousand words a day, so I didn’t. Book One of The Legend of Vanx Malic – Through the Wildwood, is a fun and intense tale that introduces a few of the series’ main characters. I have over a thousand pages worth of Vanx Malic and his curious group of companions sitting here in longhand. I will be publishing them in eBook format, about three hundred pages at a time, over the next year and a half. The first installment will available in a few days, if it’s not already. There will be a paperback(s) eventually, but for now this will be ebook only. A five-chapter preview can be found HERE.

The cover art for these stories is just fantastic. Anton Kokarev is amazing. He is custom creating art for each of The Legend of Vanx Malic releases (see above), AND doing all new custom covers for my Dragoneer Saga books. He also did some of the wicked looking images for D. P. Prior’s Nameless Dwarf series. You can check out more of Anton’s art here: http://kanartist.deviantart.com/

More news . . . some of you know that I am diabetic. My eyes are always getting worse and I am starting to rest them more and more. Partly because of this my two fantasy series, as well as my horror/thriller, are being made into audio books. The first of each should be available by Christmas. HERE is the complete MP3 download of Crimzon and Clover One: Orphaned Dragon, Lucky Girl, from the narrator’s website. I’m mesmerized by Christine Padovan’s voice and pleased that she has agreed to narrate the entire Dragoneer Saga.

Now to the contest:

I want to thank FBC fans for helping make The Wardstone Trilogy a hit this summer and I can’t think of a better way than to give away ONE SIGNED TRILOGY SET. That makes one lucky winner happy, but we need more. The old paperback edition cover (see below) of The Sword and the Dragon, with the “Prison Cut” edit, is no longer for sale. Since there are only about a thousand of the “Prison Cut” paperbacks in existence, it may become a collector’s item. Only time will tell on that note. So I just want to give away TWO SIGNED “Prison Cut” editions to the 2nd and 3rd place winners of the contest! Additionally, all three winners will receive an eBook copy of The Legend of Vanx Malic –Through the Wildwood via Smashwords coupon.

One last thing: Through a long and terrible series of chemo treatments, my mother just beat cancer. I would like to donate $100 in the winner’s name to the cancer related charity of their choice.

To FBC, and all of those who helped us through the last half year with prayers, kindness, and supportive posts, it will NEVER be forgotten.

That’s it fantasy fans, good luck, and good reading,

M.R.

To enter, please send an email to fbcgiveaway@gmail.comwith your Name, Mailing Address (Street Addresses Only), and the subject: WARDSTONE. Giveaway ends on Saturday, October 13, 2012 – 11:59AM PSTand is open to Anyone. Thank you for entering and Good Luck!

GIVEAWAY RULES:

1) OpenTo Anyone

2) OnlyOne Entry Per Household (Multiple Entries Will Be Disqualified)

3) Must Enter Valid Email Address, Name + Mailing Address (Street Addresses Only)

4) No Purchase Necessary

5) Giveaway Will End Saturday, October 13, 2012– 11:59AM PST

6) Winner Will Be Randomly Selected and Notified By Email

7) Personal Information Will Only Be Used In Mailing Out the Prizes to the Winner

Our Non-Review of Raiders of the Lost Ark in #IMAX is up. Ughhhhh – M.R.

I wasn’t even going to bother with this, but some fans pointed out that I tweeted I would review….  Here it is:

Same.

It was The Raiders of the Lost Ark, an awesome mind stretching tale, but just on a bigger sharper screen. Not that much sharper mind you.  The effects stayed the same.  There was no new CGI help, which I’d hoped for in the lightning Angel/Ghoul scenes at the end when they open the Ark.  The bad guy’s face melted just as it had….  Same footage.  So that was my review.  The movie is a must see. #IMAX wasn’t worth the extra $10 a ticket.

We #Review “The Hunter” Amazon Streaming “Intense and kept an uneasy edge of anticipation throughout” – MR

The Hunter (2011 Australian film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Hunter
Directed by	Daniel Nettheim
Produced by	Vincent Sheehan
Written by	Daniel Nettheim
Based on	The Hunter by Julia Leigh
Starring	Willem Dafoe Sam Neill Frances O’Connor
Music by	Andrew Lancaster Michael Lira Matteo Zingales
Cinematography	Robert Humphreys
Editing by	Roland Gallois
Release date(s)	6 October 2011 (2011-10-06)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English
Box office	$1,051,613 (AUS) $176,432 (USA)

The Hunter is a 2011 Australian film, directed by Daniel Nettheim and produced by Vincent Sheehan, based on the 1999 novel by Julia Leigh.^[1] It stars Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill and Frances O’Connor. To prepare for the role, Dafoe worked with a bush survival expert who taught him practical tips like how to de-scent himself so animals couldn’t smell him in the bush.^[2] Dafoe flew to Hobart, Tasmania for the premiere of the film at the State Cinema.^[3]

The film opened to the Australian public in cinemas on 29 September 2011.^[4]

Our Thoughts:

The Hunter was intense and kept an uneasy edge of anticipation throughout.  It also touched on Austrailian culture and enviromental issues that seem to be effecting people all across the globe.  The end was unsettling to me. You will see why. It is an end that I may not forget for a while, which I am sure is why it was protrayed as it was.  The acting is sharp and there are no real special effects to speak of, save for the end, where they nailed it!  Highly recomended.  4.5 stars – M. R.

*NOTE:  The Hunter is FREE to watch if you have Amazon Prime.

The Hunter at Amazon

We Review The Expendables 2 “You’ll need bullet proof jacket just to watch it.” – MR

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Expendables 2
Comic-Con poster
Directed by	Simon West
Produced by	Avi Lerner Danny Lerner Kevin King Templeton Les Weldon
Screenplay by	Richard Wenk Sylvester Stallone
Story by	Ken Kaufman David Agosto Richard Wenk
Based on	Characters by David Callaham
Starring	Sylvester Stallone Jason Statham Jet Li Dolph Lundgren Chuck Norris Terry Crews Randy Couture Liam Hemsworth Jean-Claude Van Damme Bruce Willis Arnold Schwarzenegger
Music by	Brian Tyler
Cinematography	Shelly Johnson
Editing by	Todd E. Miller
Studio	Nu Image Millennium Films
Distributed by	Lionsgate
Release date(s)	August 17, 2012 (2012-08-17)
Running time	103 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$100 million[2]
Box office	$171.2 million[3]

The Expendables 2 is a 2012 American ensemble action film directed by Simon West and written by Richard Wenk and Sylvester Stallone, based on a story by Ken Kaufman, David Agosto and Wenk. It is a sequel to the 2010 action film The Expendables, and stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film follows the mercenary group The Expendables as they undertake a seemingly simple mission that evolves into a quest for revenge against Jean Vilain, a rival mercenary who has murdered one of their own, and who threatens the world with a deadly weapon.

Principal photography took place over 14 weeks beginning in September 2011 on an estimated $100 million budget, with filming occurring in Bulgaria, Hong Kong and New Orleans. Controversy arose over environmental damage caused during filming in Bulgaria, and the accidental death of a stuntman. Brian Tyler returned to score the film.

The film was released across Europe on August 16, 2012, followed by a North American release on August 17. As of August 27, 2012 it has grossed over $70 million worldwide. Critics generally considered the film an improvement over the original film, citing more use of humor and action scenes as positives. The plot and character dialogue, however, were negatively received. A tie-in downloadable video game was released on July 31, 2012, that served as a prequel to the events of the film.

 

Our Thoughts:

The plot, like the acting, was over the top and silly.  The bad guy was Jean-Claude Van Damme, who could have (in real life) probably destroyed most of the ancient actors in ths flick. I never liked Jean Claude, but as a bad guy he was just as lame as ever.  The only thing missing from this movie is Steven Segall, who I would love to see blown up or beaten half to death.  That said, it was GREAT FUN. I lost count of killed soldiers at around three hundred and that was just in the opening scene.  Despite the lack of plot and acting, it was still a fantastic movie.  The battle scenes had enough gore that I wouldn’t recomend it to people under 13 years old.

 

If you are a fan of any of the actors in this movie (besides Jean Claude) you will love this. The one-liner battle between the old ‘big dogs” Arnold, Bruce, and Stallone is just as fun as the battles and flying scenes.

This movie is so much fun you’ll need bullet proof jacket just to watch it.

Not Highly recommended, but recommended just the same.  –  M.R.

3.5 stars.