For those who don’t have Paramount Plus, the first episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is available on YouTube for free and is embedded below.
While Captain Pike, Spock and Number One along with the Enterprise were introduced in the second season of Discovery, you don’t need to have watched those episode to enjoy this episode. Would it help? Sure. Second season of Discovery is when they started rightening the ship so to speak. And there’s an episode or two in there that covers Pike’s accident that was mentioned in the original series episode, The Cage.
The first two episodes I’ve seen has got the Star Trek: TOS-vibe down (minus the sexism from the 1960’s Television Standards & Practices) and is family friendly so if you were turned off by Discovery, you’ll find the tone of SNW to your liking.
The Batman: (HBO/MAX) I’m happy to report that Matt Reaves got it right. Great soundtrack. Great movie. There’s no stinger scene at the end of the credits.
Doctor Strange 2: Electric Boogaloo dropped this week with Thor 4 arriving in the July slot. After the last tv trailer, the spoilers started to drop so I’d suggest staying off social media until you see it. I enjoyed it and I’m happy to see Sam Raimi directing again.
Television News:
Outer Range: Amazon Prime – They’re dropping 2 episodes per Friday of this show. It’s Yellowstone meets Lost. I liked the first episode of this more than Epic’s From. Altho, the season finale was stuffed to the gills and should’ve slowed down.
Star Trek Strange New Worlds – Paramount Plus – They’ve posted the opening credits for SNW and it’s next to perfect except for the fact they called Enterprisean it and not a she. I think after 4 years of Discovery finally finding itself, SNW knocked it out of the park for a season premier. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds arrived on May 5th.
Stranger Things – Netflix – Season 4 trailer. Season 4 is split in 2. May 27th for part 1 and July 1st for part 2. Oddly enough. Part 1 drops on the same date as show about some old hermit…
Obi-Wan – Disney+ – Trailer. 2 episodes drop May 27th since they moved the premier.
Book News:
Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi– I’m not a big Kaiju fan. I enjoyed Pacific Rim, hated the sequel, enjoyed Godzilla, the sequel didn’t really work, I enjoyed King Kong but the G vs. KK was a bit much. So, I’m happy to report that KPS by John Scalzi is a fun read that I finished in a day. Go out and find it. I recommend anything Scalzi has written, he’s a great author.
Braking Day by Adam Oyebanji – I read the preview and thankfully it dropped into Libby Library app. If you like generational ship shenanigans then this should fit in your wheelhouse.
RKB’s Picks
Moon Knight is..um, something about Egyptian avatars and gods and um, I haven’t a clue and I’m loving it just for the fact you have F. Murray Abraham as a voice. If you’re looking for a Marvel series that has no connections at all to Marvel then this is your show.
Farscape. It’s a name synonymous with Sci-Fi Fridays before Sci-Fi Channel became Syfy. It wasn’t Star Trek or Star Wars, more like Buck Rogers meets Jim Henson’s Creature Shop (and for good reason since Henson was involved). It’s on Amazon Prime, go watch it all and enjoy the breath of fresh air.
Book 2 Updates
The When Riders Crosleigh word count bar:
57829 / 120000 words. 48% done!
I took April off to try and work on Last Crosleigh Standing during Camp NaNoWrimo. I think I fixed some problems.
The prologue, chapters 1-4 for book #2 has been posted to Wattpad.
I should note, these previews I’ve been posting haven’t been edited so there are most assuredly spelling and grammar errors.
eBook Giveaways!
An awesome collection of sci-fi eBooks are available in the month of May!A collection of sci-fi ebook box sets available in the month of May!New release! Project Charon 1. 99c!
eBook Spotlight!
If there are any authors on the mailing list that wish to have their novel in the spotlight or are part of free book giveaway, it’s best to go through StoryOrigin and I’ll get it into the next email that goes out June 1st!
Tell me about yourself. What inspired you to write? I always wanted to write, but my real-life job precluded me from spending enough time in that creative realm. When I retired in 2011, I devoted my energy to writing my first novel, Chocolate for Breakfast. Now I endeavor to write one book a year. It’s an optimistic goal, for sure.
Describe your desk / writing space. I have written books by hand in a spiral notebook! I think I wrote the bulk of two novels that way. When it’s time to type, I’m usually in front of my desktop computer with the massive monitor (for my old tired eyes), or, if possible, I go to the computer room at my local library and work uninterrupted for three hours.
Do you have a writing routine, or do you write when inspired? I don’t believe the “rule” that a writer must write every day. Life happens! If a certain phrase strikes, type it into your phone. I write when I can.
How do you come up with the title to your books? Ah, that’s an interesting question. The title of my first novel, Chocolate for Breakfast, actually came to me one night when I couldn’t sleep. I got up and wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget it! The next two books in the series needed to have the word ‘chocolate’ in the title, so that was a little easier. For my novel Bits of Broken Glass, I took the title from a fragment of a James Taylor lyric, because the song it comes from figures into the story. Sometimes I brainstorm a few titles and bounce them off a couple of trusted friends.
What was the hardest scene for you to write? Which scene was your favorite to write? The hardest scene was in my first novel. I accurately depict the way my character Bernadette discovers that her father has died. This was word for word the way I found out. So, I relived it all, some 30+ years later. Second hardest was the sexual assault scene in my recent novel, The Summer of Princess Diana. My favorite scene to write was probably the ending of Villa del Sol because I had been struggling with the ending, and when it dawned on me, I was so joyous that I could make it work that I rushed to write it.
What inspired your book/series? Every book I’ve written has a kernel of truth in it, even if they’re novels. So the “Swiss Chocolate” series was inspired by my junior year abroad in Switzerland. Much of what goes into my books comes from what’s inside me; I just make up a lot of the other stuff.
What are you working on next? I recently returned from a trip to Portugal and Spain and am dying to include some of that in my new novel!
What authors or books have influenced your writing? Anna Quindlen, Elizabeth Strout, Claire Cook, Catherine Ryan Hyde. I respect and admire all of them.
If you could live anywhere, in this world or fantasy, where would you live? Well, Switzerland – as long as I had plenty of money.
What is your favorite meal? Even though I’ve been trying to stay away from carbs, I could eat pizza every day.
Coffee or tea? Wine or beer? Coffee in the morning, tea throughout the day. Not much of a drinker anymore, a glass of wine with a good meal or an ice-cold beer in the summer!
Describe yourself in three words. Curious. Optimistic.
Moon Knight is..um, something about Egyptian avatars and gods and um, I haven’t a clue and I’m loving it just for the fact you have F. Murray Abraham as a voice. If you’re looking for a Marvel series that has no connections at all to Marvel then this is your show.
