From the Desk of J.M. Poole

Hi, everyone!  Have you been enjoying your summer?  If you’re a fellow Arizonan, have you been staying out of the sun?  Man alive it’s hot & muggy out there.  *sigh*  I keep telling myself that its August now and it should start getting better soon!

I’m making huge progress on aPfyT!   Barring any unforeseen circumstance, I should be able to get this book released this year.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I WILL get two books released in the same year!!!  I’m really surprised to hear myself saying this, but I do think it is time to start thinking about what cover I’d like to do for Tales of Lentari #3.  Looking through the past covers make me realize how often I use dragons on the cover as there’s only one book that doesn’t feature dragons.  Well, aPfyT, while having dragons in it, will not feature our favorite wyverians on the cover.  I think it’s time for something new.  So the challenge is to come up with a fantasy element that doesn’t show dragons but yet still conveys the fantasy theme of the book.  I will have to start thinking about it.

Recently I asked for some name suggestions on Facebook and you guys certainly delivered.  I have quite a few in my notebook now and have already tapped into them to bring some to life.  I hadn’t realized how many names I was going to need, but as I keep writing I keep using more and more names so don’t be too surprised if I ask for some more help sometime soon.  And for those of you who are curious, I will say its getting more and more likely that aPfyT is gonna be a two parter!  I hope no one has any problems with that!

It’s still several months away but I also realize it’s time to start thinking about Beta Readers, too.  I already have a few lined up but I’m always looking for more.  Interested?  Email me at jmpoole (at) gmail dot com and let me know you’d like to sign up!  Make sure you let me know that your grammar skills are far better than mine.  Derek, no comments from the peanut gallery!

That’s it for now.  I wanted to let everyone know that progress continues on aPfyT and that I think you guys are really going to enjoy it.  I will post a sneak peek soon but I think, to keep the peace, the excerpt will be much shorter than what I typically post so that it doesn’t give anything away!  Again, feel free to say hello here or on Facebook!

Happy reading!

J.

Ok, is there anyone out there who hasn’t seen the movies?  I think it’s safe to say that there are more than likely quite a few fans out there.  I count myself as one of ’em!   As with the other questions I’ve asked in the past, the first question is easy and then gets more difficult as we go!  Now, let’s see what kind of trivia questions we can come up with…

1. In the original theatrical release, who shot first?  Han Solo or Greedo?
2. What species is Yoda?
3. What’s the name of the creatures that attach themselves to the Millenium Falcon when they were inside that beast on the asteroid in Empire Strikes Back?

Good luck!  Remember, no Googling if you don’t know!

Extra credit…  Stump the author.  Ask a question I don’t know (based on the movies and not the books) and see if you can stump me!  Let all us nerds and geeks show our true colors!!!

Hi all!

This post comes to you from northern CA where my wife & I are spending a few days with her family.  Everyone got their thinking caps on?  Here’s the next round of trivia questions!

1. In The Abyss, what is the name of the liquid Bud breathes in at the end of the movie so that he can descend to great depths to disarm the nuke?  Extra credit:  what’s the name of the rat who demos it first?
2. According to Avatar, what is the name of the mineral the humans are after and how much is it worth?
3. According to the T800 series terminator, what is the type of metal comprising the T1000?   Anyone who has seen the movie knows what I’m looking for!

Good luck!  I hope everyone is having a great week!

J.

TGIF, people!  Who’s looking forward to a fun  & relaxin’ weekend?  Anyone have any plans?  Gonna see any movies?  There are a few good ones out there that I wouldn’t mind seeing.  I’d love to see the new Transformers movie.  Now that Mr. Sourpuss, aka Shia whats-his-face isn’t it in, I might be tempted to see it!

Ready for the next round of trivia questions?  I’m going to use some Jim Cameron movies so put on ye olde thinking cap!  Ready?

1. When the terminator takes the phone in Terminator 2 to speak with the T-1000, what incorrect dog name does he give to verify that John’s foster parents have been killed?   Extra credit:  what should the name be?
2. What’s the name of the organization that Harry told his wife he works for in True Lies?  Extra credit:  what is the secret organization he really works for?
3. According to the movie The Abyss, how many nukes was the USS Montana carrying when it crashed?  Extra credit:  how many warheads per nuke?

Good luck, everyone!  I hope you all have a great weekend!

J.

Hello, everyone!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m starting up a trivia contest which will be hosted here on the blog.  What’s the contest for?  Signed paperback copies of my books.  Which books?  Well, that’ll vary depending on the quantity of each title I have on hand.  How does it work?   Read on!

I want to encourage people to play and participate, so the rules aren’t going to be too tough.  Simply put, I’m going to post some movie trivia questions several times a week. Active participants (who answer correctly!) will be automatically entered.   I’ll gather the names of those who are playing and write each name on a slip of paper.  It’ll then be presented to Keeley (AKA Peanut from the stories!) to see which name she chooses.  The winner will receive a signed print copy of whichever book I have the most copies of.  Scientific, huh?

Now, you may be curious as to why type of trivia will be asked.  It could be anything from who said the first spoken line in a movie to random bits of trivia I’ve heard over the years.   And let me tell you I’ve picked up quite a bit!  I have well over 700 titles to choose from and know quite a bit more about many others.  My specialty, of course, is the fantasy/sci-fi genre.

The official rules:

1. To be entered, all you have to do is play!  Well, play and guess correctly.
2. You don’t have to guess correctly to win.  I made that last part up.  I want people to have fun, so feel free to guess, even if you don’t have a clue!
3. Be respectful.  No gloating allowed.
4. No spamming allowed.

I’m a die-hard movie buff.  Feel free to fire back with your own trivia questions!  Ok, without further ado, let’s get on with the trivia!

Questions – June 23rd, 2014

• What clan does Jake Sully tell the Na’vi people he’s a part of during their first meeting?  (Avatar)
• What’s the name of the little boy whose father died saving a marine’s life after they all had to exit the bus on the freeway?  (Battle Los Angeles)
• After Jack and Wang were gassed in the elevator and awaken when they were tossed into a room filled with water, which Chinese Hell does he say they are in?  (Big Trouble in Little China)

Avast all ye lovers of useless bits of movie trivia!  Wilst thou be stumped upon reading mine questions?  Continue on if ye dare!

Today’s questions, from easy to hard so everyone can play!

1. How nuch money does Fezzik have to pay Miracle Max for a miracle in Princess Bride?
2. Why did Steven Spielberg allow Harrison Ford to simply shoot the sword-wielding bad guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark instead of having a longer drawn out  fight?
3. At what speed was the NTI traveling when it passed by the American sub at the beginning of the Abyss?

Good luck!  I hope everyone is having a great weekend!  In case you’re wondering, I’m close to finalizing the rules for the movie trivia contest.    Stay tuned!!

Ok, you guys did well with the first round.   Let’s see how you do with this set of questions!

1. In The Hunt for Red October, before first contact is made with the Russian sub, the Americans determine they need to tell the Red October to go “somewhere deep”.  What was the name of the underwater locale Ryan sends to Capt Ramius?
2. In Jurassic Park which two dinosaurs were deliberately portrayed incorrectly with regards to their size?  Hint:  one wasn’t nearly as big and the other wasn’t nearly as small.
3. In The Abyss what three letter acronym was given to the underwater aliens?  There’s only one correct answer but there is a 2nd answer that I will accept.  I will need the acronym and what it stands for!  

Remember, the same rules from yesterday apply!  No Googling the answers!  If you don’t know it, just say so!  And try to avoid looking at other people’s answers!!

Ok all you fans of Lentari!  I’m looking to create a new contest for some signed copies of my books and thought this would be the perfect way to do it.  Now, seeing how I fancy myself a connoisseur of virtually all types of movies, you can see where I came up with the idea of a movie trivia contest!

Now, to be fair, I will admit that I haven’t watched many horror movies as I haven’t found that many that I really like.  I think Aliens is my favorite, and not just because I became friends with one of the actors.  So I think I need to see if you guys have just as much useless movie trivia in your head as I do mine.   Therefore this one will be a trial run!

The rules:

1. No using Google if you don’t know the answer.
2. Try to avoid looking at what everyone else has answered.
3. If you know the answer and it’s clear that others don’t, no gloating!
4. Be respectful.
5. No spamming allowed.  Spammers will be deleted and their IPs will be added to my Troll list (it effectively blocks you from accessing all aspects of the blog)

So what movies am I going to draw from?  Well, here in my office/man cave, I have several bookshelves FULL of movies and anything is fair game.  Chances are it’ll be fantasy/sci-fi related but anything sitting on one of those shelves could be used!   Mwahahaha!   Let’s see how you do with these.  We’ll start with an easy one then each question gets a little harder!

Question #1:   What’s the name of the creatures in Tremors?

Question #2:  What type of ship did Boss Nass give the jedi when they left the Gungan city in SW:  Phantom Menace?

Question #3:  Which Star Trek movie did Christian Slater have a cameo in?

Good luck!  Again, this is a trial run so I can get a feel for how good you guys are!

While I don’t necessarily appreciate getting another year older I do appreciate, however, when my wife tells me she’s taking a couple of days off to spend some time with me for my birthday weekend.  It’s actually Tuesday, but since it falls on such a lousy time of the week, we’re celebrating this weekend.

Besides, it’s Friday the 13th!  And there’s a full moon tonight!  How cool is that??

I’m figuring we’ll probably try to catch a movie or two.  Not sure which ones.  She wants to see 22 Jump Street.  Me, not so much.  Since it’s my birthday I’m really glad I get to choose!

Is everyone having a great summer so far?  It’s pretty much winter here, with no one (of sane mind) going outside during this weather so I’m getting plenty of writing done.  Progress is going great in the 3rd Tales of Lentari story.  As I mentioned earlier, on Facebook, this one seems to be stretching out quite a bit, and I’m reluctant to scale anything back in the story, so this just may turn out to be a 2 parter.  You guys alright with that?

I’m rapidly exhausting my list of names so if you have any other suggestions I”d be more than happy to hear them!  Let me know which gender they are as well as which species.  Or, if you prefer, I can just use the name where I think they would fit best.

Anyone else think it is time to hold some type of contest?  Yeah, me too!  So what should I have you guys do?  Answer trivia questions?  Perform some type of task?  Hmmm.  I’ll start thinking about it.

Hope everyone has a great week!  Stay safe and read lots!

J.

Last week I was in Phoenix for a few days.  I accompanied my wife while she needed to work at her company’s HQ, figuring I’d have plenty of time to write there by myself in the hotel room.

Don’t get me wrong, I did get some good writing done, but that was only on the first day.  Did I get anything done on the 2nd or 3rd?  Not much.  Why?  Because on Thursday, while I was going over my notes for the chapter, I heard the tell tale sounds of an old fashioned ringer coming from my cell phone.  It indicated that an unknown person was calling me and their contact information wasn’t in my address book.  It meant a client was calling me.

No problem.  I close my notebook and reach for my binder, which has all my notes for computer tech calls.  I take the call and begin the formalities.  He tells me his name (which I really wasn’t paying attention at this time) and told me what type of problem he had.  I listened and then explained what I could do for him.  He was interested and we set an appointment for me to go to his house for a training session on his new MacBook Air.

Again, no problem.  I’ve taken thousands of these types of calls.

Then he starts chatting with me about what his interests are on the computer.  He tells me what types of things he likes to do to pass the time.  I’m thinking, this sounds like a nice guy.  He then tells me that this house I’m meeting him at is his mother’s and he lives in Los Angeles.

The little man upstairs responsible for filing away all the useless information I’ve ever collected finally sits up and takes notice.  My eyes drop back to my notebook and I read the client’s name as I had written it:  Michael Bean.

Rusty wheels begin to turn.  He lived in Los Angeles?  His mother lived here?  I knew that the Biehn family lived in the same town as me and that Michael was related to them.

At this time we said our goodbyes and I hang up.  I’m still staring at my notes.  Had I just been talking to Michael Biehn, the star of Terminator, the Abyss, Tombstone, and Aliens??  How could I verify this?

I had the phone number he gave me, which was his mother’s.  Could I look it up that way?  A quick reverse phone check verified the last name was Biehn.

Holy shit!  Pardon my French, but I had just been chatting with a movie star like we were the best of friends!  A grin split my face and to tell the truth, it hasn’t left it for several days.

Ok, this brings me to today.  I had my appointment with him today.  My wife told me to keep cool and not geek out.  I’m sure I looked like a big goofy idiot when we first met.  We shook hands and he showed me his new computer.

For the next 2 hours I helped him set up his email, configure iTunes, helped set up his cell phone, create playlists, etc.  It was hands down the most surreal moment of my life, sitting so close to Michael Biehn that our knees were practically touching.

The best part comes next.  After we’re officially done, we sat around, with his brother, and talked about movies.  Movies!  We talked about the movies he’s been in.  We talked a lot about Aliens and what it was like filming it.

My big dopey grin is back.

One of the last things he does is to add me to his email contact book in case he has any other questions.  I told him I’d be more than happy to help.  Know what he said to me? “Are you any good on a set?”

Far and away the best tech call I’ve ever been on!!!