Screenplay Update

The latest news on the screenplay is that it’s being looked at by a top Hollywood script consultant! I’m excited and terrified at the same time. 

My work reviewed by the professionals with A-list movie and TV credentials!  

This came about when my screenwriting client made contact with a very well connected entertainment lawyer who suggested the screenplay be reviewed by a consultant. Where it will lead I don’t know, but I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from it once I get the marked up pages back. 

The next step after that is to start mining other contacts and see if we can get the screenplay in front of other professionals … assuming I don’t have to make many changes to it. If I do, then I’ll be busy doing that before we start knocking on doors. 

It’s an interesting process. 

I would also love to work on some of my client’s other ideas, as they are very viable and have a high entertainment value, but he seems to be losing steam a bit. At 81 years of age I suppose that’s understandable. I suspect he had hoped the screenplay would be in production by now, something he would love to be a part of as a co-producer. But the reality of Hollywood is that most screenplays take years to even get written, and then take years to find the right home, unless they were written for a studio under contract.  

And, just like for fiction and non-fiction book writers, many studios (or publishers) won’t look at material that didn’t come to them through an agent. Just a few hurdles to overcome but I see no reason why we can’t!

Wishing you all a wonderful, peaceful and abundant 2015! 

Book Group Skype-in

Late last month I had the pleasure of being able to answer questions and talk about my novella, Tales from the Fountain Pen, with a book group on the other side of the country.

It was the first time I’d participated in something like that as an author and I learned quite a bit. Not just about how my novella was received, what characters and events stood out for the members of that book group, and how much they wanted a sequel! But also some basic information on how to go about setting up a successful author Skype-in.

For those of you - authors or book group members - who would like to organize a video conference author meeting here are some points I came up with after my first one. 

1. Agree to parameters with the group leader or organizer on the format, the time and how long they anticipate you being a part of the meeting. 
2. Double check your technology! Have a back up option if Skype is not cooperating, such as Google video chat or face-time.
3. Offer some questions the moderator can use should there be a lull in the conversation.
4. Set a time limit and know the time zone you will be calling into.
5. Make sure you won’t be interrupted by pets, family or phones.
6. Make sure your video image is well-lit and comes across clearly.
7. Be professional and gracious.

Not everyone will gush over your writing, but as hard as it is, don’t take it personal. For the most part though you’ll find book group members love talking to an author. It gives them some insight into the process and story behind the story. 

If anyone is part of a book group interested in reading Tales from the Fountain Pen and would like to have me do a virtual author visit, let me know in the comment section and we’ll arrange it. 

Happy reading!

December Book Review

The Omnivore’s Dilemma

By: Michael Pollan

You might think this a strange pick for me to read. Well, that’s because I didn’t pick it. My offspring did, he chose it for the English class book group project. This meant that he had to ask an over 18-yr old to also read it and come with him to book group night to talk about it. 

The book is not for the faint of heart. Though the information in it regarding the state of food and food production in the US was not new to me, this was the first time I had all the information handily compiled in one book. And some of it can be tough to chew on, let alone digest (pardon the pun).

The writing is compelling and I applaud the author for his courage in actually visiting a feed lot and staring into the eyes of a cow wallowing in the misery that has become its existence. Cows should be enjoying a healthy pasture, not stand ankle-deep in their own waste, pumped full of chemicals, trying to digest a grain they’re evolutionarily unsuited to do. Corn may have been clever in how it seduced the human grower into making it the super-crop it is today, but that still does not make it suitable food for most mammals, or farmed fish.

The book is painstakingly researched and detailed in its descriptions of all four meals Michael Pollan traces. He is clearly a man who enjoys food and gives thought to what he eats and what he feeds his family. The omnivore’s dilemma is that just because we are by nature able to eat anything, does not mean everything is good for us.  Or that we should eat everything. 

The one thing I didn’t like about the book, aside from the fact that some of the information is depressing to contemplate, is the fact that the author has a tendency to repeat himself. Often referring back to previously given information as if we might forget. The further the book went along, the more often he referred back to what he’d already said. 

Fast forward to book night:

The commons of the high school were filled with the pleasant hum of conversation, the coffee, tea and juice flowed freely - though some parents voiced a preference for something stronger - and after a short while we all took our seats to get instructions from the teacher. It was nice to see so many parents involved in this with their kids. 

After our instructions we met up with the group that had read the same book (there were 15 to choose from) and headed to one of the empty classrooms. There we talked about the book, discussing questions the students had come up with while reading the book. It was interesting to note the different perspectives between adults and teens on various matters. But in the end, the book had given all of us pause and made us more aware of our food choices going forward. 

And who knew that ‘free-range’ eggs only meant that there’s a small door open in the chicken house but that the chickens are not encouraged to go out at all. For true ‘free range’ look for pasture raised. Guess I did learn something new. 

In the spring, the class will hold another book night, but this time with fiction books. I hope there will be some good ones to choose from again. Stay tuned. 

BREAKING NEWS!

In what is turning out to be a real emotional roller coaster of a week - my very dear dog and loyal companion of almost 12 years, passed away this weekend - I do have good news to report.

My book "Out in the Dark" of which you've been enjoying the first 2 chapters has been picked up by my favorite Indie publisher Untreed Reads. It will come out in the summer of next year in both E-book version and print!

This means I won't self-publish it ... and I'm also not able to post anymore chapters, but I will keep you all posted on the progress as we work on cover design, final editing, marketing, etc.

It's very exciting, and I am thrilled, mingled with just a touch of sadness to.

Chapter 2

As I said in May I will be self-publishing my Young Adult novel “Out in the Dark”. I’ve since learned more, watched the Amazon-Hachette situation unfold, and will opt for another vendor who can actually get my paperbacks into independent bookstores. Their distribution is actually wider than Amazon’s. 

Now the challenge is making sure I attend to all the details, such as purchasing an ISBN number and attached barcode; the international identifier for books. Purchasing the right package for both a print-on-demand with color cover and e-book format (which comes in more than one format and each needs its own ISBN number). Then there’s marketing, which even with a small publisher an author still has to do a fair bit of herself. So far my budget is already close to $500. Not a small outlay and I’ll have to make sure I price my book competitively and so that it will sell and I’ll make at least that $500 back. 

It’s a risk, but it does show me why publishers are reluctant to take on unknown authors because with many of them they don’t recoup their costs. With others of course they do, and in the aggregate it all works out for them because they have many titles out there on the shelves. 

While I continue to work on preparing the manuscript (if you look at the first chapter again you'll note one of my pen-names), creating the cover art, and getting book jacket quotes from published authors who are currently reading the manuscript, I can give you chapter 2 to tide you over until I publish the whole book. Depending on how long the whole process takes, you might be treated to chapters 3, 4 & 5 as well!

Happy reading!

Chapter 2.

Ballarat road was deserted and another rainstorm threatened to dump on the small town in the foothills of the Cascades. Jake was used to it, but only because he had to be, not because he liked it. He walked along the side of the road, a solitary figure treading the asphalt ribbon.

Every quarter mile there was a mailbox. Once outside the proper town people liked a lot of distance between themselves and their neighbors. They all claimed they wanted privacy, but Jake wondered what they were all up to that was so secret that nobody could see. 

Domestic violence? Alcoholism? Drugs? Or just an inability to deal with people? He figured he’d seen it all in the neighbors around their property. 

His mother had started drinking a little too and grew pot, supposedly for some legal medical pot dispensary in Seattle. He didn’t ask. His father hadn’t asked either; he would rather tinker with robots in the barn than deal with his wife. Something had gone wrong between his parents about eighteen months ago and Jake didn’t know what.

Jake couldn’t really blame his mother for wanting to be with another man. It could get very lonely out at their place, and it was about to get even lonelier for her. 

A car approached from behind him and Jake stopped to try and thumb a ride before the rain. It was Mr. Swanson, their nearest neighbor. He wondered which Mr. Swanson he’d have to deal with; the law-and-order one, or the aging hippie. The old man seemed to have a split personality.  Jake much preferred the aging hippie, that one wouldn’t turn him in to the principal, or his mother. 

“Need a ride, boy?” Mr. Swanson rolled down the window of his old Ford pickup. It had more duct tape on it than actual paint, but the engine ran smoothly. Jake knew that for a fact as he was the one who had maintained it for the past few years. Jake was gifted with all things mechanical.

“Thanks!” Jake climbed in and slammed the door so it would stay shut while driving. 

“Where to, son?” Mr. Swanson asked. Jake looked at the man and noted his breezy Aloha shirt and shorts, his feet in woolly socks and sandals. Yep, he was in hippie mode. 

“Home, please,” Jake said, and hoped Mr. Swanson wouldn’t ask questions.

“No school today?” 

“Got out early,” Jake said smoothly. Technically it wasn’t a lie, he did get himself out early, even if classes hadn’t been dismissed yet. 

“Nice.” 

“Yep.” Jake settled into the comfortable seat and thought some more about his plan. It had to be today, his dad depended on him. That much he did understand, even if everything else was unclear. 

The road remained empty. Jake looked out the window up at the foothills and saw the cloud line descending. There might even be some early snow in those clouds. He hoped the passes would still be clear. 

“Here you are, son.” Mr. Swanson pulled into the gravel drive. “Looks like your mom’s got company. Shouldn’t the coach be at school?” Mr. Swanson gave an exaggerated wink and nudged Jake in the ribs. Distant neighbors but still no secrets. He wished his mother was more discreet, he also wished she wasn’t so lonely. Mr. Caruthers was a nice enough guy, but nothing like his dad. 

Jake thanked his neighbor and slammed the door on the old truck. He waved politely as Mr. Swanson backed out of the drive and only just missed their mailbox. The man’s license should be taken away, but out here driving was a God-given right, so even if Mr. Swanson had smoked a few, he would still drive. 

“Mom, I’m home, but I’m leaving again,” he called out after he let the screen door noisily slam shut. 

He heard scuffling from the upstairs bedroom and then his mother’s voice calling out to him. 

“Jake, honey,” her voice sounded too cheerful. “What are you doing home? I was just, um, folding laundry up here. I’ll be down in a minute.” 

“No hurry, Mom.” Jake walked through the kitchen and surveyed the fridge. He’d have to take some food along, but there wasn’t much to choose from. A couple bologna sandwiches would have to do. He set up the coffee maker to brew a full pot. He would take a thermos with him. 

Then he went to his room and pulled his dad’s old Air Force duffel bag out from under his bed. It was only a little moldy, like most things in the old wood-shingled house. Mold was a fact of life in this part of the world. 

Jake threw some clothes, his pajamas and an extra pair of shoes into the bag. He looked around for a book to take and his road maps of America. He double-checked the battery on his iPhone and his laptop. He would take them both. 

“What’s up, kiddo?” His mom stood in the doorway to his room, her cheeks flushed and her hair mussed. She looked happy and Jake wasn’t sure if he felt anger or sadness that his mother had found some joy in the arms of another man. What would he tell his dad?

“I gotta go, Mom,” Jake said and continued packing. “Dad needs me. He’s been showing me.” 

“Oh, now, honey, you can’t be serious.” His mom came over with her arms out wanting to envelop him in a hug, as if he were a small child in need of comforting. “Your dad can’t communicate with you from wherever he is, that’s about as possible as seeing fairies. He should never have filled your head with that nonsense.” 

“Yeah, well, at least he did something,” Jake snapped, immediately regretting his words. He knew his mother had been there for him lots of times, just not lately. “Sorry, I mean he believes in it and it’s real. So real the government took him for experiments. He’s in trouble, mom, I have to go help him.”

“What do you think you can do?” His mother leaned against the ratty old closet, her arms crossed and the glow slowly fading from her face. She looked tired now, her hair dull and streaked with grey. She wore her old baggy sweats and his dad’s Mickey Mouse sweatshirt, a souvenir from a trip to Disneyland ten years ago. He wished she would leave with him. Go somewhere better, have a decent life. 

“Come with me?” he said, pleading like a little kid. 

“It’s too late for me, honey. I can’t go out there again,” she said sadly. “We had to move here to hide from demons that haunted your dad. I’m from here, I grew up with Caruthers. I should have married him and not been taken in by your dad. He looked so good in his uniform when I met him that I would have followed him anywhere. He was smart and sophisticated and everything I never saw in my hometown. I fell in love.” She sighed, a far-away look in her eyes. Jake wondered if she regretted her time with his dad.

“I couldn’t keep up with him, Jake. He flew planes, he read and he had this gift for knowing things before they happened. It became too much for me, so I wanted to come home.”

“But, you just said you guys came here because of Dad’s demons?” Jake snapped. “Which was it? And don’t tell me you did it all for me, because what’s here for me?” He spread his arms wide to indicate the town. He felt angry as he thought about the stories his mother was telling him. Which one was the truth, or did she even know?

“Both, neither, I just wanted to be safe and be with people I knew. Your dad went along just to please me, but when he got the call for a special project he took off. The checks stopped a month after that and even the air force doesn’t know where he is. I called them and wrote to them and badgered them.” She stopped and Jake saw tears glistening in her eyes. 

“That can’t be true. He has to be with them,” Jake said, trying to control his anger.

“Face it, Jakey, he did a runner on us. He’s gone,” she said with a wan smile. 

“No, not Dad, he wouldn’t do that,” Jake said, his voice cracking as it rose. “I know he wouldn’t. He’s in trouble, I know he is. He’s shown me. Mom, you know the telepathic link is real. He taught you too... why do you deny it? Why?” He was now practically screaming at her and fighting back his own tears. 

“Jake Hanson, Jakey, just leave it be. It’s safer that way.” She tried again to put her arms around him and this time he let her. Together, tearfully, they sat huddled on his bed. 

“I can see him sometimes, but I can’t let that lead my life. I can’t let him destroy you with it. People in town already think you’re different.”

“Then let me leave. I’ll go live with Grandpa in Portland. I’ll finish school and go to college. Mom, I hate it here.” Jake dried his eyes, slightly embarrassed that he’d been crying, and hugged his mother again. He could hear Mr. Caruthers upstairs and was grateful the coach had the good taste to stay there. 

His mother took a deep, ragged breath and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She nodded at Jake. “Okay, you can go live in Portland with your grandfather. I’m sure it’s for the best,” she said. “Even I can see you don’t fit here. I’m sorry. What about Jessica, though?”

“She’ll be fine. There are enough guys interested in her who share her ambitions, or lack of them,” Jake said. He knew he was being cruel and dismissive of Jessica but right now she was the least of his concerns. She seemed superficial and empty-headed, but she was sweet. Sometimes Jake wished she would act on her deeper ambitions and not settle, like his mother was doing now.

“I’ll call grandpa and let him know you’re coming. How soon do you want to go?” Mom asked. “I’m guessing this weekend, right?” She had given up. Jake could see it in her eyes, she was completely giving up on everything. Especially herself. It made him angry again.

“Sure, you can call grandpa,” he said, and turned away so he wouldn’t start yelling at her again. He wanted to shake her and make her come along. He wanted her to be the mother he remembered from his childhood. A vibrant woman full of life and a sense of adventure. Not this scared, mousy woman. 

November Book Review

The Silkworm

By: Robert Galbraith

The second murder mystery by Robert Galbraith (pen name for J.K. Rowling) was worth the wait. It came out over the summer and there was some to-do about distribution as Amazon and Hachette Books were still still knee deep in their battle. I opted to wait and avoid the whole mess. Some time after I returned from my trip to Europe I went to my local independent bookstore and purchase a hardbound copy.

I brewed up a big pot of tea and with the pleasure of anticipation slowly opened the book. Many hours later I came up for air - and a much needed bathroom break - and reluctantly put the book down to tend to the daily chores that come with family life. 

Galbraith is growing as a writer and his characters are too. I enjoyed learning more about the main characters and their backgrounds. They’re becoming multidimensional and more familiar. They’re also becoming more comfortable with each other which makes the interactions more natural. This is something the author has always excelled at and now is able to bring to these murder mysteries as well. 

The story focuses on the book publishing business after the body of a particularly onerous author is found after his last manuscript makes the rounds. A manuscript that is brutal and cruel in its descriptions of people the author has dealt with. That manuscript, which is circulating in London publishing circles, creates quite a stir and more than a few suspects. Galbraith seems to relish taking jabs at the publishing industry and some of the absurdities that go on there. 

The plot takes many twists and turns and every time I thought I had it figured out, I was proven wrong. I did not see the ending coming, which is always a nice surprise with mysteries. Nothing takes the fun out of good mystery like figuring it out half way through. 

I’m eager for the next one.  

The Seduction of a Pen-Name

I’ve given this much thought and even researched some of my favorite authors who use pen-names (you’d be amazed how many do), and I’ve come to the following conclusion:

A pen-name is a good thing. 

Let me explain my thinking. 

My name as you see it on this blog comes with baggage, it has emotions and expectations attached to it and it has a history; the history of my life, family, friends, experiences, etc. It comes with a its own framework, lives within its own framework. 

A pen-name on the other hand is blank. I create the persona, I create the framework, the characteristics and attitudes. Similar to creating a character in one of my books. By creating a pen-name I free myself from people I know, experiences I’ve had and my own background. I get to completely recreate who I am as a writer. 

I can write in a different genre and not get pigeonholed into a place that becomes too limited. It allows me to explore different genres, themes and ideas. 

But the best part, aside from the sense of liberation, is that I can write without my ego getting in the way. My identity and ego are put aside when I write under a different name; nothing gets in the way of pure, limitless, writing.

I’ll let you know when my other persona publishes her first book!

Freelancing

There is a romance surrounding freelance work that says freelancers get to do what we want, when we want and actually have plenty of money too. If money runs low, we just call up a client, do  some work, get paid and go off and have fun in the sun again. (Rumor has it top programmers can live like this)

The truth is a little different. A lot of time is spent finding clients, negotiating a reasonable hourly rate, and once the project is done then comes the challenge of hassling accounting to actually get paid. The difficulty there is that most freelance jobs are not built into the standard operating budget so don’t get paid along with the monthly expenses. 

Surprisingly this problem persists across the board, whether you’re working with a small company or a large one. I’ve given this problem some thought as I continue to wait for payment and send out my weekly reminders that I’m still owed money. 

It comes down to value. Is the freelance work valued at the same level as that of an employee? Is a freelance contractor working without the backing of a placement firm considered a valuable addition to a project/company/event? Usually that answer is somewhere close to ‘no’.

That’s not necessarily a fair assessment. It’s not an unambiguous ’no’. It’s more complicated than that, but when you’re waiting for your money for the work you’ve done, you’re really not interested in the ambiguities of whether you’re valued -no amount of praise affects that - or where in the budget, or the changing financial picture of the client you might fit.

So after a tough - lean - few months does that mean I’m going to quit freelancing? No. There are too many adventures to still be had in freelancing. There is that freedom to work any 24 hrs. of the day I choose, and have some time and energy left to work on my novels, volunteer at my offspring’s robotics team … and I get stay home with my ailing dog. 

It also means I get to jump on opportunities I might not otherwise. I can help somebody out who’s just starting out as a writer, by offering constructive advice and developmental editing, I get to continue to work with and advise my screenwriting client as he determines the best direction to take the screenplay. And I get to keep looking for that next challenging and exciting project that will require me to learn and grow and exceed expectations. But it does mean I will continue to evaluate this way of doing business, every month.  

October Book Review

The Brethren

By: John Grisham

I found this book in the .99 cent bin at my local Goodwill store and thought it might be a fun read. I was not disappointed. It’s a heist story of a different kind. 

Imagine 3 judges stuck in a very minimum security prison in Florida. They each have done something in their lives that caused them to be stripped of their rank and position and tossed in jail. Once there they get to know each other and help their fellow inmates with appeals cases and other minor disputes over property inside. 

They don’t do this for free, no, these guys are in it for the money. They’ve lost everything on the outside and know they’ll need money if they want to have some kind of comfortable living on the outside again. The three ex-judges, known as the brethren, are a trio of scheming, conniving and shrewd operators. 

With the help of a washed up, broke lawyer on the outside, who also has a gambling and drinking problem, they set out to prey on lonely, older men, who live respectable lives, have money but are ‘in the closet’. They’ve concocted the perfect con. (It’s what’s known these days, as cat-fishing, which is a growing ‘sport?’ or hazard at social media sites and online dating sites.) 

That is, until they snare a presidential candidate. Now, it takes them a while to figure that out and when they do, they assume they’ll have it made. Except that they didn’t count on the CIA becoming involved. 

It will take all their ingenuity and shrewdness to come out of this free, alive and wealthy. 

The book is fast paced and well written. It was a quick read and taught me some more about writing. As I’m guessing you can tell, I’m reading some very varied types of books … the goal is to learn style, writing craft and to explore different ideas. It will all lead to better writing for me. 

Flow of Information

Having worked for some years now as a freelance translator of both business documentation and magazine articles from Dutch to English, I’ve observed a real drive for information from other countries to reach American shores. If we look at history we see that information - pretty much since the end of WWII - has flowed from the US to the rest of the world. The US has been the big culture exporter. While Europe was rebuilding after the war that was all right, but I think it’s time for that pendulum to swing the other way, or at least for a greater circulation of information in more than one direction. 

The US might lead the way in many things, which is just fine, but I also feel mainstream media is very limited in what it tells us from foreign sources. Granted, it would require an investment in people who know other languages and can monitor diverse and far flung news outlets, but I think the long-term benefits would outweigh any up-front costs. That benefit being a greater understanding of other cultures around the world; a less isolationist view of the world and a greater sharing of resources, knowledge and discoveries across borders. 

The same holds true for literature. So few of good foreign writing makes it the US, and then if it is poorly translated the success of a book will only be limited. 

Despite my reservations regarding Amazon, I do like the fact that one of their imprints is dedicated solely to bringing foreign books to an English speaking market. I’m eager to assist in the translation and bringing to market of Dutch books. A number of outstanding teen novels come to mind as a good starting point, but there are many, many wonderful books in the Dutch language, published in the Netherlands and Belgium that would appeal to an English speaking audience. 

The internet of course is a great source of information and Google does a decent job of translating foreign websites, though some words and expressions become something entirely different than their original, it’s not the same as having a newsmagazine or newspaper that has at least a section devoted to information, opinion and research from overseas sources. I will say though that there is a growing trend in European institutions of higher learning to conduct business/classes in English to better mesh with a global market, but that still only captures a small portion of relevant information.

I’ve talked to small overseas blogs and news magazines that would like to see a deeper dialogue, who would like to be able to start greater cross-cultural discussions, but are stymied in that ambition by lack of funds to pay a translator (some days translating reminds me of my impoverished days writing grants for small non-profits). 

People from different cultural backgrounds will have very different opinions on the same event/activity/experience. Only through sharing of knowledge, information, opinion and research can we truly gain understanding of each other. Surely someone is willing to invest in that?

September Book Review

The Eye of God

By: James Rollins

I picked up this book at the very well stocked, ad hoc bookstore at the PNWA writers conference I attended earlier this summer. Again, it was not a book I would ordinarily choose, but something about it grabbed me and I thought I’d give it a try. 

It must have been the combination of physics, history, a mystery, and an adventure that caught my eye. More than anything though I was curious to see if the author putting all these disparate elements together could still make the book readable and the story plausible. I’m pleased to report that the author succeeded and when reading the book I found myself unable to put it down. 

Some of the elements in the story are: a satellite sent up to study a passing meteor comes crashing down to earth in an inaccessible part of Mongolia, a very old book, bound in human skin, gets delivered to a researcher and priest at the Vatican, setting off a mystery. Then there are the Triads in Hong Kong who weave in and out as well. All the stories converge when Sigma Force, an elite black ops type of team, goes in search of the satellite, because it holds the key to preventing a global cataclysm. But the mystery surrounding the book is somehow tied up in that as well. 

So much happens in the book and at such a fast pace that I can hardly begin to describe it, but the history and science are very well researched and woven into the tale. I now know more about Genghis Khan than before and also about quantum physics, which, as you know, is something I’m always eager to learn more about. I also learned about biohacking which sounds fascinating, but I’m not sure I’m up for trying it.

The violence again was something I could have done without, but it made sense to the story and this author is, thankfully, not that graphic in his descriptions. He also shows remarkable respect toward women and even has a couple of his characters look for ways to ease the suffering of women and children, when they are finally free to do so. 

All in all, a richly woven narrative with strong characters and an excellent balance of fact and fiction. I’m eager to read more by this author. 

Screenplay Done

screenplay and small stack of notes

Now that the screenplay is done and the client is happy and the all-important copyright has been registered, I can finally talk about that screenplay project with you. 

It’s been a crazy ride and a steep learning curve, but I think we have something worthwhile. As if I would say anything else, of course. I put blood, sweat and tears into this project. It was hard not to get too attached to the characters and then have to change them completely. One week the lead character was a middle aged real estate millionaire, then a wealthy investment banker, next a young reporter, before finally settling as a young venture capitalist with a tech background looking to start a business in Detroit. And that was just one character!

But before I get too deeply into the screenplay story itself, let me tell you about my client and his reasons for hiring me to write this story with him. He’s an 80-year old self-made man, doesn’t look a day over 70, if that old, who made his fortune in Seattle real estate. And at times was quite ruthless about it too from what I can glean from his stories. He’s an old time gambler with hints of big games in Vegas in the old days. Most days he still plays a couple of hours of tennis and bridge whenever he can. 

But none of that is leaving him feeling fully satisfied with life at this stage. He wants to leave a legacy for his kids and grandkids. And what better way than to see your name up in lights, as the old saying goes. 

The idea for the screenplay first took root in his fertile imagination after seeing a documentary on the decline of Detroit, Detropia. As a real estate developer his first thoughts were on what he might do, if he had enough wealth, to revitalize a city teetering on the verge like that. Initially the story was fairly pedestrian in its premise, but it quickly became more than that. 

Some of his deep down motives are fueled by a desire to leave a better planet for his offspring. One where we’re no longer using up every last crumb of the planet, where we’re not continuing to make more, consume more, pile up more trash and stomp on others who have less.

A tall order!

After many outlines and drafts and revisions we settled on electric transportation as the way to save a city. Borrowing from a future we both anticipate will come where electric batteries are more robust, not lithium-ion anymore, and able to power buses, trucks and cars with ease for significantly long distances. And, while we’re at it, why not make it an international effort bringing countries closer together and dramatically reducing pollution. But don’t worry, we didn’t make it sappy, we were sure to add in tension, conflict, history, and even a bit of a love story, oh, and we’re envisioning a Motown soundtrack.

Log Line for “Rescue Me”:  Her technology fulfilled a promise to her grandfather, brought the two largest economies closer together and saved a city.

I will blog more about the screenplay and efforts to see it into production over the next few months, so stay tuned. Or contact me for more info using the comment section. 

Give Away Winners!

I had a such a lovely response to my August Give Away contest that I opted to randomly choose 3 winners to receive a digital copy of  Tales from the Fountain Pen!

And they are:

Eva
Laura
Lisan

Dear winners, enjoy the book and feel free to let me know in the comment section what you thought of it, or write a review at Goodreads.com or your favorite E-book retailer.

For the rest of August I am still taking author questions and I'll post a link here to the questions already asked and answered.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6426879.E_Lynn_Hooghiemstra

Looking forward to answering more of your questions.

August Book Review

Something more than night

by: Ian Tregellis

In the mood for something completely different I downloaded this book onto my kindle before my trip to the old country last month. I started reading it on the flight over and was sucked in from the first line. 

The premise is impossible and yet completely plausible. Someone has murdered the angel Gabriel and on top of that the Jericho trumpet is missing. Angels are trying to make a break for freedom; to escape the heavens. There is the ‘Voice of God’ and a human female set up to either take the fall or solve the crime. 

Written in the style of a classic ‘Noir’ as in Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler, it features the patois of the style in the form of a hard boiled fallen angel, Bayliss who narrates most of the book. Toss in a dame “who was going to be trouble”, a priest with a secret, stigmata nightclub dancers, and a world on the verge of collapse. 

The story takes remarkable twists and turns, tosses in all kinds of interesting heavenly characters with bad manners and unfolds toward a satisfying and surprising ending. Despite all those ‘out there’ characters there is a real poignancy in the human relationships which run through the story and befuddle the heavenly beings who turn out to be remarkably self-absorbed and uninterested in the world. 

In with the religious allegory is a healthy sprinkling of - quantum - physics and plenty of homage to the great noir writers. 

The author has done his research and has put together a great story. Not your average ‘whodoneit’ which makes for a good change. I wasn’t sure he could pull it off when I’d read the description, but he has.  Think the Maltese Falcon in heaven to get some idea of this book. 

I highly recommend it. 

Enter the August Give Away

It's August! Time to enter the Give Away for a digital copy of Tales from the Fountain Pen.
To enter send an email to: elynnh2write (at) gmail (dot) com.

* the fine print: give away open to all countries. Emails will be deleted after contest closes Aug. 15th. Emails will not be used for any other purpose. The email box will go away after contest closes.

Good luck!

The Big August Give Away

I know it's still bright, sunny July, but it will be August in day or two more and I want to let you know about the give away I'm setting up for August.

Due to the 'miracle' of technology my book links are finally active again on Goodreads.com and to celebrate I'm giving away one digital copy of my novella 'Tales from the Fountain Pen'. All you need to do is send an email to : elynnh2write(at)gmail(dot)com with Give Away in the subject line before August 15th. (After that the email box goes away)

On August 16th using some fancy, honest, randomizing method, I will pick one lucky winner.

So if you're in the mood for an atmospheric journey back to WWII the Netherlands where a young woman, Maggie (age 17 almost 18), is trying to navigate the challenges of growing up in a time of war, enter the give away!

Also, in the month of August I will be taking questions on Goodreads, so if there's anything you've ever wanted to know about my writing, future books, how to survive rejection, etc. please feel free to ask.

And reviews on Goodreads are of course always welcome.

Conference Lessons

This past weekend was the annual Pacific Northwest Writers Association (PNWA) conference. It was the first time I signed up for this one, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. My initial impression on the first day was that the atmosphere seemed subdued, but I quickly realized my error in judgement.

The writers conferences I’d attended in the past had been SCBWI (society for children’s book writers and illustrators) conferences and had a far more playful feel to them because we’re talking about children's books. 

My main reason for coming to the PNWA conference was not so much the breakout sessions, though they were interesting, but the opportunity to interact with agents and editors, and to meet new people. 

A writer, any artist really, grows stale if he/she doesn’t step out and meet new people, have new experiences, and look at things from a different point of view. Of course stepping out is not always easy for a bunch of introverted artists, but the PNWA was a huge success in that sense. 

Whenever I sat down somewhere to take a few notes or quietly practice my pitches someone would join me and offer to help, though it invariably turned into a wonderful conversation. There were people there from all over the country and even some from outside the country.  

I feel I learned the most from those people because we shared a common interest, though we came from completely different backgrounds, and through that common interest we were able to start a conversation about writing, publishing, and life in general. 

Sometimes a question as simple as ‘what kind of writing do you do?’ opened the door to real depth and a human connection. 

It reminds me of something I observed and try to incorporate in my encounters with others. A brilliant marketing lady I had the good fortune of working with many, many moons ago at a non-profit I wrote grants for, had the ability to make people feel at ease and open up simply by finding one thing to complement them on in the first 5 minutes of meeting them and then really listening to their response. (Thank you, Carrie!)

I wonder what the world would look like if we all took the time to even for 5 minutes put our egos aside and found something good in another? 

But now I’d better get back to putting together submissions to the agents who expressed interest in my manuscripts! Wish me luck!

July Book Review

The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel 

by Jasper Fforde 

I tried to finish this before heading to Europe but ended up taking it on the plane to finish. Thank goodness my offspring had room for one more book in his carry on. Though I had my e-reader loaded with other books, this one was still a nice old-fashioned paperback. You really can’t beat the joy of traveling with a paperback book, but they do add a lot of extra weight to already overstuffed luggage.

The Eyre Affaire is an odd blend of science fiction, fantasy, murder mystery and maybe just a hint of romance. Though entertaining and written well enough that I wanted to know the end, it did at times leave me confused and wondering where the author actually wanted to go. Or what the book was supposed to be. 

It features a female protagonist, Thursday Next, who tracks down people who tamper with books. A Literatec investigator, and a veteran of a very protracted conflict in the Crimea with Russia. So an altered history timeline has been thrown into the mix as well. 

A master criminal has taken a rare original manuscript and using an ingenious device designed by the protagonist’s uncle, adding a personal stake to the mystery, is lifting characters from the book and killing them. 

The first half of the book was better than the second where I felt the author rushed the story and didn’t do the characters justice. Or maybe I was reading it too fast in between the turbulence bumps on the flight across the Atlantic. Either way, I’ll give the sequels a miss.  Though I will admit that I did enjoy the literary in-jokes and was pleased to find I had read enough classics to keep up.  

The Blog Tour, My Writing Process

Theo dictates when I take a break!

Thanks to my friend and fellow author Lynne Kennedy for inviting me to participate in this new blog tour. It’s kind of like a virtual studio open house tour. I’ve not yet met Lynne in person, but we talk online and discuss historical fiction, the process and dogs. She has also given me a lot of information about the process involved in self-publishing using Amazon. 

But before I get sidetracked here is my contribution to the tour. 

WHAT AM I CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

I’m currently working on a work-for-hire screenplay project for a client with a great idea. That’s about all I’m allowed to say about that. Hopefully he’ll be able to sell it so I can talk about it. I’m also working on a historical fiction novel for teens set in WWII Strasbourg, France (well it’s France now, it wasn’t then). And I’m editing my novel “Out in the Dark” with the idea of self-publishing it. That decision kind of depends on where this feud between Hachette Book Group and Amazon goes. 

HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF ITS GENRE?

Those of you who have read my novella “Tales from the Fountain Pen” will have some idea of what I mean when I say that one of the main differences in my stories is the emotional component. A sense of feeling what the characters are feeling and making an at times difficult era very real, making you feel like you are there. Often my characters are quite ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances and having to make difficult choices, not only for themselves, but choices that will affect others. 

HOW DOES MY WRITING PROCESS WORK?

I’m not so sure I have an actual process at this point. It’s really about showing up and sitting down at the computer every day. Most of my stories or books start with either an idea, or simply the first line. There are times when I’m playing with a thought or feeling and trying to figure out how to put it into words. From there the story either flows or it doesn’t, if it doesn’t it goes away for a while till some other time. Sometimes I start handwriting a story because the very act of writing by hand stimulate a different part of the brain than typing does. 

But if you want me to get technical on what my writing day looks like:

After the morning chores such as driving off-spring to school & walking the dog & feeding the cats then letting them out, letting them in and maybe letting them out again, I’ll make a large cup of tea and fire up my laptop. 

First there is the pure and unadulterated pleasure of reading an email from a very dear friend overseas, then a quick check of the news headlines - why is it always bad news? - and after these morning rituals I get to work until lunch time. After lunch I’ll work some more, often there’s a translation that’s due in that time too so I’ll take a break and work on that. The change in work can help refresh the writing, and the rewriting, and the editing and polishing. 

UP NEXT:  And now I hand you off to another one of my writing friends, Richard Hardie of the Temporal Detective Agency series fame, all the way in England. 

The High Ground

I’ve been following the spat between Amazon and Hatchette Book Group with interest and  growing concern. Actually at this point it’s not a spat anymore, but a full blown battle. What started as a disagreement, has now become a nasty business of one company undermining another company. 

At first Amazon took the big 5 publishers and Apple’s iBooks to court over E-book price fixing. Stating that the prices these big publishers set for E-books were too high and detrimental to sales and authors.  The judge sided with Amazon. Which made sense as the overhead on E-book production is very low, and therefore it follows that the profit margin is higher already. The author as well as the publisher should be seeing a larger royalty too. But that wasn’t quite how it went. I secretly suspect that publishers hoped this whole E-book thing would fizzle, which is probably one reason a number were late adopters. 

But things have turned ugly. Information is coming out of Amazon’s bullying tactics toward publishers on setting prices not only for E-books but also for paper books. Now Amazon are delaying shipments to customers of books published by Hachette or simply refusing to stock them. 

I won’t go into the details as they’re easy to find online, but what concerns me is: what will the ultimate fall out be? How will this have an impact on people who choose to self-publish through Amazon? Will it lower their chances of being picked up by a traditional publisher even further? Will they get blacklisted for - supposedly - siding with either Amazon or Hachette? 

What will happen to those of us who have good books written, but can’t get through the door with publishers, for whatever reason, or just don’t want to wait the years it can take to crack open that door, and who opt to self publish? 

Because of this growing battle are we authors suddenly at risk of having career opportunities cut short? Do we as authors continue to send out submission after submission, that may or may not, reach the person we hope to reach? And then wait sometimes 6 months to a year for a form letter informing us that we don’t fit the current needs of the publisher? 

I’m not trying to put down any side in this deliberation, as I’m a very tiny cog in an overwhelmingly large machine, but I do wonder. And I would very much like to see some discussion around this particular issue, because many of the writers I know are very serious about growing their careers, and if one - perceived - wrong choice cuts them off at the knees, it means we all lose. 

What high ground can I take here and still grow my career? 

Maybe I’ll join my cat, Seymour, on the roof for a bit to contemplate this issue. 

June Book Review

The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer

I read this book in April, but as you know, May was a little busy with boxes, moving and cleaning, so no time for a book review. I’d like to say I’m all settled in but that’s not quite true, there are still plenty of boxes that need to be emptied … or maybe just donated? Not my books of course, they’d be hard to give up.

The Cairo Affair was perfect for those airport lounges and long plane flights in April. Nothing too strenuous, but a very enjoyable, intricately layered, spy yarn. What starts with a murder leaving an 'innocent' expat American widow, slowly unravels into a big web of intrigue, double cross, more murder and cross-border shenanigans. 

Sophie Kohl has just confessed to her husband, a career diplomat, that she had an affair while they were stationed in Cairo when he's suddenly shot dead in the restaurant in Hungary where they're having dinner. 

Since Sophie was told that it was Stan, the CIA agent in Cairo she'd had the affair with, who had told her husband, she calls him and confronts him. Stan, still very much in love with Sophie, wants to help. But both of them lie to each other, as does everyone else in the story that follows, and we learn that not all is as it is portrayed. Who works for whom? Who's double crossing which organization? And who's paying for what exactly?

The author has an excellent grip on current affairs and seamlessly blends past and present events across the globe, including Egypt, the former Yugoslavia and Libya. In a time when we no longer have the iron curtain and the cold war, we now find ‘freelance’ spies selling information to the highest bidder in an effort to raise capital for a cause in their own countries, of course with disastrous consequences. 

There were a number of unexpected, though very plausible, plot twists, and the characters were drawn in a fine enough detail to come alive without have been labored over. 

My only objection was a rather brutal description of war crimes, and some heinous crimes against women in particular. It seems to be the season for that, if the news media is anything to go by. A very sad state of affairs which almost made me stop reading. It seemed unnecessarily detailed for the flow of the story, but that's my personal opinion.

I will probably seek out more books by this author, especially since there are a few more airport lounges and long plane rides coming up later this month. And there's just nothing like a spy novel to liven up international travel!

Moving and Stress

My new workspace 

I'm still in the middle of this move, which is keeping my writing from being written, my blog from being blogged, and my laundry from being laundered... okay, you didn't need to know that.

After a physically grueling weekend of carrying heavy things to and from a truck I managed to translate a small article this morning that tells me of the benefits of stress. It had some well-reasoned arguments about how stress boosts certain hormones that then help you have a burst of creativity, or how it can help you find solutions more easily. Though it did warn that there should be balance with that stress so you don't overload on that cortisone hormone that's released. Endorphins sound much more fun right about now.

Anyway, in a bit of good news, my screenplay client is very happy with two-thirds of the screenplay. He admits that perhaps he rushed me a tad toward the end there.... and there was that move, too!

Now we can get to work on polishing it up to the point where he can go out and pitch it, which is what he really wants to do.

And in other news, I have received some very good and useful editorial feedback on that first chapter of "Out in the Dark". Maybe next week I'll post chapter 2.

The cat is helping with my work

Out in the Dark, chapter 1

After much thinking, soul searching, research and asking other writers, I've decided to try an experiment. I will self-publish this dark, young adult novel 'Out in the Dark'. Below I've included the first chapter and I welcome comments or inquiries. A previous post on this book can be found here along with a synopsis: Out in the Dark

A friend of mine is probably going to do the cover art, so stay tuned for that as well. She's the very talented artist Karin who did the lovely pen and ink drawing of Sydney in the post on 'Tales of Sydney'.

Let me know what you think and stay tuned for updates on the process of self-publishing. I hope it won't cost a fortune, or I may need to start a Kickstarter campaign!

OUT IN THE DARK

Nicola Adams

Chapter 1.

The image flashed across his brain again and Jake rubbed his eyes to make it go away. He knew what it was and why he was seeing it, but he didn’t want to deal with it. He shouldn’t have to, not at his age. He should be having a normal life, going to baseball practice, sneaking a smoke behind his mother’s back and cutting the occasional class to prove he was a normal teen, except that he wasn’t. 

It was all his father’s fault. 

His father had taught him to see; to see what nobody else could see. To see far away and see what was hidden. His father had taught him to read people, events and places from afar. And now his father was sending him images. Things Jake didn’t want to see. 

There was nothing especially terrible about them, except that they were an unwelcome intrusion and made him feel uncomfortable. He didn’t want to see where his father was; the man had left. 

“Hey, you listening?” Jessica nudged him in the ribs, hard. The school bus bounced across  the potholes like it had lost all suspension. It was the oldest bus in the fleet, used to pick up the rowdiest kids along the rural routes in Washington. The seat covers were torn and the windows covered in permanent marker graffiti; some good, most terrible and just about all of it lewd. 

“Yeah, I’m listening,” Jake grumbled. She might be his girlfriend, but he was getting tired of her constant chatter about clothes and parties and celebrities. “When’s the party and where?” he said in his customary gruff voice, the one he’d adopted after his father left for one last mission. It had only been a year since his dad got called up for a special and highly secret project, but it felt so much longer. Jake’s mother could barely cope and Jake felt sure she would start something with Mr. Caruthers, the high school football coach. He’d been hanging around for weeks now, supposedly helping her out with chores around the house, but acting as if he was about to own the place. 

Why did Dad have to go away? Jake was mad at him and wanted him to come home to make everything right again, but that was little-kid dreaming. Life didn’t work that way. 

“Now that you have your driver’s license you can pick me up in your mom’s car and maybe we can go somewhere afterwards.” Jessica leaned suggestively against his shoulder and looked up at him with eager and expectant eyes. Her eyes were her best feature, big and round and deep blue. Aside from that she had an okay body, it was shapelier than most girls in his class. He wished she wouldn’t bleach her hair, though, it made it look unnatural, almost like straw. 

Everyone said he was lucky to be with her. His friends all thought they would marry after high school graduation. He could keep his job at Ramon’s garage and be all set. Why bother with college? 

If they only knew. Jake had very different plans. He was determined to get out of this small town. Rural Pacific Northwest was not his scene. Any place had to be better than this. 

The bus squealed to a stop in front of James Madison High. A standard one-story, sprawling school building that every day reminded Jake more and more of a prison. Throngs of teens in flannel, fleece and jeans shuffled into the building. The new principal stood at the door greeting each kid who walked past. It was his way of showing that the kids mattered, but Jake knew better. If each kid mattered then why had nobody suggested to him he try for a top science college or even just community college? His math scores were off the charts and the only thing keeping the school scores from being at rock bottom. 

Yeah, he was ready to get out. The sooner the better since it was obvious that nobody cared about him. 

“Ah...” Jake doubled over at the searing pain in his head. This was not supposed to happen. His dad said that only on rare occasions could you feel the pain of others. What was happening to his dad? This was not like before.

“Dude, you okay?” A hulking figure stood over him and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Yeah, no worries,” Jake said to the prize offense-player of the football team. “Hangover, sunlight’s too bright,” he said, knowing that was the right answer. Besides, Brandon would never in a million years understand what was going on in Jake’s head, or his life. 

“Awesome, dude.” Brandon slapped him companionably on the shoulder, which nearly sent Jake sprawling. At six feet, 2 inches he wasn’t exactly small, but his slender frame was no match for the over 200-pound mass of Brandon.  

All through calculus Jake was plagued by the images his father sent him telepathically, no matter how hard he tried to shut them out. 

An idea started to form and by lunchtime he knew what he had to do. 

April Book Review

Siddhartha 

By: Hermann Hesse

Quickly before I dash off to St. Louis for the robotics world championships, I thought I’d put together a book review. For a thin book. 

I read it some time ago and planned to do a book review of it all along, but I didn't feel ready to write it until now. There is something about the book, that simple story which at its heart explains Buddhism, that stays with you. Regardless of your own spiritual persuasions. 

We can all identify with the seeking the main character goes through. First pursuing fortune and pleasure only to learn that those offer little fulfillment or peace. Then struggling to quiet the ego in a simple life and finally, hardest of all, learning to let go of the struggle we all face of letting go of expectations for others. This is particularly poignant when you have kids because you want to guide them and show them the right way, but only they can find the path that’s right for them. 

Where the book truly excels is in the simple telling of a universal story. In some ways it is the story of the Buddha, but in other ways it is the story of each and every one of us as we traverse this shiny blue bauble out in the middle of a vast universe. 

The book also shows the intense seeking the author, Herman Hesse, went through in his life. A writer whose life was not without struggle and pain. He started writing at a time when romanticism was very much in vogue in Germany and Austria, he at first embraced that style and direction of thinking, wanting to find the harmony with nature and the balance in the natural world. World War II changed all that and he retreated deep within himself and away from the world for a long time. 

Siddhartha is a book that lets you step back, for a moment joining the author in his quest, and reflect.  At least that is what it did for me.