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Archive for February, 2012

30 Second Interview with…..Lorelei King

Posted in 30 Second Interview With...., tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 29, 2012 | 10 Comments »

 James Lipton and the Actors Studio did it for fun with the actors…..Now, I’m doing it for fun with the writers.
  
 
Okay, we’ve all heard Sting singing about ‘An Englishman in New York’. Well, todays 30 Second Interview is about an American Gal in London.
 
Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Los Angeles, Lorelei King always planned to move to Paris. But in 1981, she came to London on what should have been a three-day stop over, and never left. She’s now married to actor Vincent Marzello.
 
So, lets start with Lorelei, the Actress.
 
With  films such as ‘Notting Hill’ and ‘The Saint’, Lorelei can boast having worked with some of the best male actors around on both the small and big screen; from the handsome Hugh Grant to the rugged Bob the Builder. In fact, Lorelei has starred with one of my all time favorites, Michael Douglas in the wonderful movie, ‘Shining Through’. Now I’m jealous.
 
And Television is not to be ignored. Emmerdale, Cold Feet, and Jonathan Creek, to name just a few, can all brag Lorelei as part of their cast at one time or another.
 
Now, what about Lorelei the voice over actress?
 
Well, if you live in America and watch Bob the Builder, you may just recognise the voice of ‘Wendy’ and ‘Packer’.
 
And let’s not get into the two hundred plus programmes Lorelei’s recorded for the BBC.  In fact, Lorelei has been described as ‘the best known American voice on radio 4′ after working on shows including Judge Dredd, Batman, and the classic American drama East of Eden.
 
As well at this, Lorelei also lends her multi award-winning voice to narrating audiobooks for best-selling authors Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton and Patricia Cornwell.
 
And this leads us nicely to Lorelei, the Multi Award Winning Voice.
 
 
With numerous awards including Audiofile’s ’Best Voices’, APA Performer of the Year, and Audiofile Golden Earphones Award among the twenty or thirty trophies already fighting for space on her mantle, Lorelei recently won lNarrator of the Year and firmly established herself as the best narrator around.
 
So, what of Lorelei the writer?
 
Lorelei is credited for writing children’s programmes Chuggington, for which she is also script editor, Bob the Builder and Fantomcat. Plus, the Playstation video game Mothatruckas 1 and 2, and Cartoon Network’s Dexter’s Laboratory Video Game.
 
Phew. Is it time to catch a breath? No. Because Lorelei is also co-owner of Creative Content Ltd, a small digital publishing company (check out their blog).
 
Now you can catch a breath while you read Lorelei’s 30 Second Interview.
 
1.  What is your favorite word?  Courage
 
2. What is your least favorite word? Guts
 
3. What turns you on?   Intelligence
 
4. What turns you off?    Pretension
 
5. What sound do you love?   The pop of the champagne cork
 
6. What sound do you hate? The crack-fizz of a pull tab
 
7. What is your favorite curse word?   Bollocks
 
8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?   Professional ice skater
 
9.  What profession would you not like to do?  Social worker
 
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “First class to the left”
 
   
 
 Contact Information

For more information regarding Lorelei King, please check out her website,  IMDb, Facebook, twitter, blog

So, what do you think of Lorelei’s extensive career? What is your favorite Lorelei voice?

If you want more of me, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin

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Classes, Competitions and Writing Opportunities Round Up #26

Posted in Classes, Competitions and Writing Opportunities, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 27, 2012 | 6 Comments »

 

This weeks competitions that have caught my eye:

FICTION: Via First Writer

Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   2nd April 2012
Fees:  $20 for one entry.
Prizes:   $1,000 for first place.
Details:   For fiction up to 5,000 words.
Country:   United States
Website:   https://www.pshares.org/submit/Emerging-Writers-Contest.cfm

Write Place Open Writing Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st March 2012
Fees:   £5 for one entry.
Prizes:   £100 for first place. £75; £50.
Details:   For short stories up to 1,500 words on the theme of A Modern Fairy Story.
Contact:   Elaine Everest, 8a Oliver Road, Swanley, Kent BR8 7DY
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   elaineeverest@aol.com
Website:   http://www.thewriteplace.org.uk/page9.htm

Du Maurier Short Story Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st March 2012
Fees:   £5 for one entry.
Prizes:   £100 for first place. 2nd prize £75.
Details:   Short Story. No minimum count – maximum 1500 words. Any genre. The theme is based on The Rondezvous. Postal entries as printed typescripts. Online entries welcome. Fee payable by posting a cheque.
Contact:   11 Pentreath Close Fowey Cornwall PL23 1EP
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   lesleymccartney@btinternet.com
Website:   http://www.dumaurierfestival.co.uk

Writer Advice Flash Prose Contest
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   18th April 2012
Fees:   $12 for one entry.
Prizes:   $200 for first place. $100; $50.
Details:   For flash fiction, memoirs, and creative nonfiction up to 750 words.
Country:   United States
Email:   Lgood67334@comcast.net
Website:   http://www.writeradvice.com

Fantays Short Story
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   20th March 2012
Fees:   $0 for one entry.
Prizes:   $20 for first place. Publication in our magazine with a bio and link to your work.
Details:   We are looking for strong fantasy/medieval fiction short stories up to 6000 words. Entertaining stories that leave the reader asking for more is a must, but strong grammar and spelling is just as important.
Country:   United States
Email:   adam@tavernsvault.com
Website:   http://www.tavernsvault.com

Cheshire Prize for Literature
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   1st September 2012
Fees:   Ł0 for one entry.
Prizes:   Ł2,000 for first place. Ł750 additional prize money and chance to be published in an anthology.
Details:   Awarded for an original short story not exceeding 1,000 words. The writer must have been born, live or have lived, study or have studied, work or have worked in Cheshire, Wirral, Warrington or Halton. Entrants must be over 18. Three typed non returnable copies should be entered. A cover letter with name, address and telephone number should be submitted with the entries.
Contact:   The Cheshire Prize for Literature, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   cheshireprize@chester.ac.uk
Website:   http://www.chester.ac.uk/literatureprize

CONTEST num.1 by Caligae Travel Files
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   30th April 2012
Fees:   $0 for one entry.
Prizes:   $500 for first place. $300 and $200 for the second and third winner respectively and publishing.
Details:   Topic: Friendly and humorous typology of modern society in your country. Describe and illustrate the most representative, emerging or curious social groups and strata. Material: 1 article (up to 500 chars.) plus at least 1 illustration (of any style) per social type. Number of articles and illustrations is unlimited. Submit only original texts and author’s artworks of your own creation.
Country:   Spain
Email:   editor@caligae.info
Website:   http://www.caligae.info

Toulmin Prize 2012
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st March 2012
Fees:   £0 for one entry.
Prizes:   £500 for first place.
Details:   For short stories up to 4,000 words, concerned with some aspect of life in North-East Scotland, and written in Scots (including Doric) or English or a mixture of the two.
Contact:   Professor Ian Russell, Director, The Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen, MacRobert Building, King’s College, Aberdeen AB24 5UA
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   elphinstone@abdn.ac.uk
Website:   http://www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/events/toulmin/toulmin-prize2012.shtml

ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA Via RWA

29th Annual Orange Rose Contest
Sponsor: Orange County Chapter
Fee: $25–35.00
Deadline: April 14, 2012
Eligibility: RWA members in good standing, not contracted/published in book-length fiction in last 5 years.
Entry: 50 pages including synopsis – electronic entry only to save printing and postage costs!
Categories: Contemporary Category Romance, Erotic Romance, Historical Romance, Inspirational Romance, Mainstream w/Romantic Elements, Paranormal/Time Travel/Fantasy Romance, Romantic Suspense, Single Title Romance, Young Adult Romance.
First Round Judges: Published authors.
Final Judges: Acquiring editors and agents.
Top Prize: $100.00
FMI, www.occrwa.org/contest.

21st Annual Duel on the Delta
Sponsor: River City Romance Writers
Fee: $25.00
Deadline: April 15, 2012 *extended*
Entry: electronic entries only; first twenty pages.
Judges: trained, published and unpublished.
Final Judges: Historical - Deborah Nemeth, Carina Press; Inspirational - Sarah Long, Bethenay House; Erotic - Angela James, Carina Press; Young Adult - Liz Pelletier, Entangled Publishing; Contemporary – Aubrey Pope, Sourcebooks; Romantic Suspense – Liz Bass, Carina Press; and Paranormal – Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
FMI, www.rivercityromancewriters.org; duelonthedelta@yahoo.com.

SCRIPT WRITING OPPORTUNITIES Via ISA:

WANTED TWO COPYWRITERS IN ENGLISH AND HINDI 
Wanted 2 copywriters in English and Hindi with excellent command in their respective languages for writing scripts for various corporate films, TV shows, documentaries, and TVCs. Send in your detailed resume with a sample writeup and a passport size still photograph to Amber at contact@qedcommunications.com. Only for residents of New Delhi & NCR. FREELANCER CANDIDATES NEED NOT APPLY. THIS POST IS FOR PERMANENT JOB.

WRITING PARTNER WANTED 
I’m a writer with contacts in Los Angeles looking to break into TV. I’m currently developing TV pilots to pitch to friends from my AFI days, who have lately become executives in the industry. I have several pilot ideas that need development, and need a partner to speed the process. If you have pilot ideas of your own, all the better (but not essential). We could pool our efforts and attack it as a team. My sensibilties are comedic but not broadly so, and satirical. Influences include Alexander Payne, Mike Judge, and shows like Enlightened, All In The Family, Downton Abbey. Please send me (Charlie MacNamara) a writing sample and resume at charliemcnamara@mac.com if you’re interested, and I’ll send you some of my work.

SCREENWRITER SEEKS PARTNER TO HELP FINISH SCRIPT
I have a screenpay based on a true life story that has caught the interest of an established actor, he’s been in mulitple movies and had his own tv show. He likes my concept, writing and main characters but still feels the script needs more work. This is the first script I’ve ever written and could use a 50/50 partner to help me bring it to completion. Email me (Jarrod Miller) at jarrod.miller03@gmail.com for more information.

SEEKING SCREENPLAYS BY CANADIANS FOR LOW BUDGET FEATURE 
New production company seeking screenplays by Canadians that can be made for under $1M. Writer-director submissions ok. All genres welcome. Please email a full outline to us at adamdwyer1@gmail.com. If we like it, then the script will be requested. Pay will be 2% of total budget.Thank you.

SEEKING EXPERIENCED SCREENWRITER IN NYC AREA FOR COLLABORATION 
I have written a wonderful story for a full-length movie that features many different sub-plots. I’ve been able to blend all these plots into an easily understood story by using a unique and different concept. I need a proven and experienced screenwriter that can work with me in re-writing my story into a screenplay. I am especially looking for someone with experience in the terrorist/espionage genres. I will share appropriately whatever is to be made from our work. If interested, please email your bio and contact info to me (Anthony Diffley) at mondiff@aol.com. Thank you.

SEEKING WRITER FOR SCI-FI FILM PROJECT 
I really need to find my partner in crime. You don’t need experience as much as enthusiasm and willingness to work on an awesome film project. Specifically, I need a writer (ideally a sci-fi/independent film lover) for development of a truly unique and new sci-fi film project that I am currently developing. I have the story outlined and have the first half of the film (approx 25 scenes) visualised and storyboarded. I have experience editing and have been learning to composite various SFX that might be needed including the development of various rigs and electronic props. If this sounds like its for you and you think you can help feel free to contact me via my email at zombiesatepurplenick@yahoo.com.

LOOKING FOR FEATURE LENGTH ROMANTIC DRAMA OR COMEDY 
I am searching for a feature-length romantic drama (in the vein of “Cairo Time” or “The Eclipse”-Irish film 2011) or romantic comedy (ala “A Touch of Class”) for two amazing actors in their 50s. The piece must be set (or be adaptable to) in a remote and isolated area (preferably a hotel). Adaptations of plays are welcome. Please send logline (in the body of the email, please) to sarah@jofilms.com. Many thanks.

LOOKING FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER SHORT FILM SCRIPT 
We are looking for short film script in the pyschological thriller genre. The story should be set in just one flat or room. The film will be made by us and it will be self-funded. Due credit will be given to writer along with some pay. However, as the project will is self-funded, the money will not be great. Contact us at bharichinmay@hotmail.com.

WRITING CLASSES AND CONFERENCES Via ScreenwritingU

Advanced Dialogue Screenwriting Class
ADVANCED DIALOGUE is about taking the best dialogue you’ve ever written and making it irrestible to actors, agents and readers.  
In the course, we’ll cover:
Day 1:  What Makes Great Dialogue Great?
Day 2:  Expressing Character Fully
Day 3:  More Character in My Dialogue, Please
Day 4:  Colorful Language that Entertains
Day 5:  Dialogue Contrast and Twists
Day 6:  Dialogue Structures that Match Real Conversation
Day 7:  Suspenseful Dialogue
Day 8:  Subtext in Dialogue, Part 1
Day 9:  Subtext in Dialogue, Part 2
Day 10:  Applying “Advanced Dialogue” to Your Scripts.
PRICE:  $90
DATES: March 13 – April 13, 2012
WHERE:  Online.
MORE INFO
To register, go to http://www.screenwritingu.com/enroll2.htm.

Teleconference: “How To Get An Agent “
Sign Up for the Conference! t’s FREE! If you want an agent or manager,
you need to know the rules of that business relationship. You need to know the rules, the reality, and the roadmap that will get you in the door and to the point of being a represented writer. ”This call changed my whole vision, plan, and focus.” -  Audrey Jacobs
In this 90 minute teleconference, you’ll learn…
REALITY:
*Strategies that came from over 100 interviews with agents and managers.
*The fundamentals of landing an Agent or Manager.
*The four mistakes everyone advises writers to make with agents!
RULES:
*The Rules of Engagement with Agents
*How to be a Great Client
ROADMAP:
*8 Strategies for Landing a Manager or Agent.
Sign Up! 

DFW Writers’ Conference 2012
Registration is now open for agent/editor consultations.

You can find out which agents are coming here, and which genres the agents are interested in here. Each agent will have a finite number of slots available so register now!
May 19, 2012 at 8:00 AM
Hurst Conference Centre, 1601 Campus Drive, Hurst, TX 76054  -  Register Now!

 

Please remember to check out legitimacy of all contests before you enter, and to copyright all your work.

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

If you want more of me, you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin

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Back when I first started to write…..

Posted in Other Stuff, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 24, 2012 | 31 Comments »

 
Picture from http://ineligibleforgreatness.com

We’re all writers, right?

And every story starts with a beginning. So I thought I’d share the beginning of my writing journey with you.

Like 95% of writers, I have always loved writing. Back in the eighties, 1985 on a Friday night if memory serves, I used to video tape (remember those)?, a TV cop show called Dempsey and Makepeace.  Then on the Saturday morning I’d get up at the crack of dawn, before anyone else, and watch, write, and rewind the show until I’d written the whole script. Makes me laugh now, knowing how easy it is today to find scripts on that revolutionary tool called the internet. But, back in ’85, I had to make do with a VCR, writing pad, and my trusty biro.

The crime stopping duo

So what was my reason for doing this?

Why, to adapt the episode into a novel of course.

And my passion for writing never dwindled. Well, I misplaced it for a few years while I went to college, worked in a chartered accountants, slogged my guts out at OK! Magazine, and wrote a car off while at Essex Police.

Then, a few years ago I began writing articles for magazines and my passion returned.

So, how did I get to where I am now? Well, I have two different stories.

The first involves a lady you all know very well; the fabulous Kristen Lamb. By sheer luck, she came across a chapter I’d written on the internet, and through sheer generosity, she emailed me some critism. And, there began my novel writing career and my friendship with a true hero.

Up until that point, I’d only written one novel; a romantic thriller called ‘The Stalker’. Friends had read it and loved it and naturally I thought, “Hey, I’m onto a winner here.”

I worked hard with Kristen as she bomboozeled me with plotting, character profiling, the three act structure, conflict, ARC’s, inciting incidents, antagonists, protagonists, minions, Big Boss Trouble-makers and, oh yeah, pulling me out of my comfort zone, I realised what a load of rubbish I’d actually written. The story was okay but the characters were so boring and one dimentional – worse, they had no flaws!

Of course, now I’m a fully fledged psychotic nutter and there’s no switching off my imagination. In fact, my tag line ”I could write for Days of our Lives” as seen in my banner, is Kristen’s description of me.

So began my second novel. Only this one I was writing the Warrior Writers Boot Camp (WWBC) way. After months of researching, character profiling, plotting, and re-plotting, I was ready to start writing another thriller……

Only Jason Statham could play my villain

And then I met Natalie Hamilton-Duggan. She’d just finished film school in London, wanted to write a paranormal screenplay, and asked if I’d like to help. At first I was a little apprehensive. I am not a massive YA paranormal fan. Sure I like The Vampire Diaries and True Blood, and Supernatural is one of my favorites, but I’d had enough of vampires. They’d been done to death. After a full five minutes deliberating, I agree to become a co-writer. I knew nothing about script writing but what the hell. There was one condition though….. No Vampires!

So, together we began to plot out a story. Kristen’s WWBC training became invaluable and I applied it to screenwriting the same as I had my novel.

Now I was working on two different stories in two different formats at the same time.

It was during this time that Kristen invited me out to Texas to attend the DFW Writing Convention. I thought, why not? I could pitch my novel to an agent and see what they thought.

Also, Natalie and I had finished the script to the now titled “Legend”, and decided to take the plunge and stop in L.A. first, you know, to see if we could get a bite out there. We emailed hundreds of queries and waited.

Wayne Alexander, an entertainment lawyer, read it and promptly emailed it across to Amy Schiffman, a manager and literary agent colleague of his at IPG. She loved the script and wanted to meet us.

So out go Natalie and I, wet behind the ears, totally out of our depth, and expecting the whole experience to swallow us whole. We couldn’t have been more wrong. We loved Wayne and Amy, and they seemed to love us. Amy became our manager, gave us a ton of ideas to start work on, and asked if I would adapt the script into a novel.

After three whirlwind days in L.A., Natalie and I flew to Texas; where I pitched an idea for a book I hadn’t even thought of writing two days previously. Luckily the agent loved the idea and asked to see a chapter or two when I’d written them. Oh yeah, as if that wasn’t amazing enough, Kristen gave me a fabulous stetson and took me shooting, and I brought a wicked pair of cowboy boots.

 

Since then Natalie and I have written two TV pilots and I’m half way through writing ’Legend’ (the novel version). I’ve two agents in the UK who are also waiting to read it.

With regards to WWBC, I now help Kristen teach other writers, along with my WWBC team mates and writing buddies, Piper Bayard, Nigel Blackwell, Kerry Meacham, and Xandra James. I just hope I can help them as much as Kristen has helped me.

So, what’s your story? How did you start writing? How long have you been writing? Do you have an agent? Have you been published? How did you feel seeing your book in print? Have you even just taken a chance and come up trumps?

If you want more of me, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin

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30 Second Interview with…..Brad Keene

Posted in 30 Second Interview With...., tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 22, 2012 | 9 Comments »

 James Lipton and the Actors Studio did it for fun with the actors…..Now, I’m doing it for fun with the writers.
  
 
Are you ready for a scary ride?
 
Let me introduce you to horror screenwriter, Brad Keene. Or better still, watch the following trailer to Brad’s 2008 movie, From Within.
 
 
Okay, so how do you feel? Calmed down yet? What’s that? You were too nervous to watch it?
 
I must just tell you this quick story. The first time I met Brad was at our managers offices in L.A. Brad entered and was asked to take a seat only to find Natalie and I already occupied both of them. Poor Brad had to stand. I nearly offered my chair’s arm….I don’t think I’ve told him that :)
 
So, let’s find out a little more about  the man who is an expert at scaring people.
 
In 2006, Brad wrote a screenplay with co-writer Chris Skinner, called ‘The Gravedancers’, a story about three friends who, after the death of their friend, drown their sorrows in beer and return to the cemetary…..only to find the following morning the ghost of a child pyromaniac, an axe murdered, and a rapist are terrorising them.
 
 
Then, in 2008 Brad wrote From Within , which boasts the talent of Rumer Willis   and Thomas Dekker. Brad also co-produced this movie which revolves around the residents of a small American town who begin to die one-by-one, apparently by suicide…
 
Then we come to a film we’ve all heard and seen called ‘The Grudge’. Well, in 2009, Brad wrote the third installment, aptly names ‘The Grudge 3′.
 
 
 
But screenwriting isn’t the only talent Brad has. With vetran writer and illustrator Shannon Eric Denton, Brad wrote Fleshdigger , a comic strictly for the older audience and one that premiered to a hail of praise from fans and comic readers alike.
 
And if that wasn’t enough to prove this writer has what it takes to prove his worth, his debut novel ‘Hat Trick’, is released by ZOVA Books in May 2012 and has a TV series ready for production later this year.
 
So, what could the man, who admits to being raised watching The Incredible Hulk, make of our ten questions?
 
 1.  What is your favorite word?  Persistence
 
2. What is your least favorite word? Resistance
 
3. What turns you on?   Energy
 
4. What turns you off?    Fatigue
 
5. What sound do you love?   Laughter
 
6. What sound do you hate? Chewing
 
7. What is your favorite curse word?   Dayum
 
8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?   Comedian
 
9.  What profession would you not like to do?  Mortician
 
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “Well, well, well. Look who it is! That wasn’t so bad. What’s with the concerned expresion? Relaz. I’m letting you in. I wouldn’t allow people to loiter at the gates unless entry was imminent. There’s enough anziety on Earth. So, come on in. By the way, I can’t wait to hear your clever stance on religion now. This  shifts the discussion a bit, doesn’t it? Oh. There’s that expression again. Don’t worry. All is forgiven…..and yes, we have a casino. People always ask about a casino as if being in Heaven isn’t enough. I’m not offended. It’s the best casino around. You’ll love it!”
 
    
 
 Contact Information

For more information regarding Brad Keene, please check out his IMDb, Facebook, twitter

If you want more of me, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin

 

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Competitions and Writing Opportunities Round Up #25

Posted in Classes, Competitions and Writing Opportunities, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 20, 2012 | 1 Comment »

 

This weeks competitions that have caught my eye:

FICTION: Via First Writer

Annual Short Grain Fiction Contest 
Category:   Fiction
Closes:  1st April 2012
Fees:   $35 for one entry.
Prizes:   $1,000 for first place. $750; $500.
Details:   For short stories up to 2,500 words.
Contact:   Short Grain Contest, P.O. Box 67, Saskatoon, SK, S7K 3K1
Country:   Canada
Website:   http://www.grainmagazine.ca/contest.html

The Muse in Alms
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   21st July 2012
Fees:   Ł0 for one entry.
Prizes:   Ł100 for first place.
Details:   The EU want to a new anthem which represents the ideals of freedom and democracy in the modern world. You are charged with writing the words which will comprise this new anthem. Max. 40 lines. Online submissions only.
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   email@bardandmuse.co.uk
Website:   http://bardandmuse.co.uk

Rider Haggard Society Short Story Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   30th March 2012
Fees:   £10 for one entry.
Prizes:   £200 for first place. Also free society membership.
Details:   For stories in the oral tradition starting with the sentence provided on the website.
Contact:   Roger Allen, 27 Deneholm. Whitley Bay NE25 9AU
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   rb27allen@blueyonder.co.uk
Website:   http://www.riderhaggardsociety.org.uk/competition.htm

John Gardner Memorial Prize for Fiction
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   15th April 2012
Fees:   $15 for one entry.
Prizes:   $500 for first place. Also magazine publication.
Details:   For unpublished short stories up to 8,000 words.
Contact:   John Gardner Fiction Contest, Harpur Palate, English Dept., Binghamton University, Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000
Country:   United States
Website:   http://harpurpalate.blogspot.com/p/contests.html

Mslexia 2012 Women’s Short Story Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   19th March 2012
Fees:   £10 for one entry.
Prizes:   £2,000 for first place. £500; £250.
Details:   For short stories up to 2,200 words, by women.
Contact:   Mslexia Publications Ltd, PO Box 656, Freepost NEA5566, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1BR
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   shortstory@mslexia.co.uk
Website:   http://www.mslexia.co.uk/shop/scomp_enter.php

IF you can write…
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   9th April 2012
Fees:   $0 for one entry.
Prizes:   $500 for first place. Cash prizes for second and third place in both fiction and nonfiction categories.
Details:   We invite you to enter our inaugural competition. The contest is open to all, no fee required, with cash prizes in fiction and non-fiction categories. Entries will focus on one of the ideals expressed in Rudyard Kipling’s classic poem: If. Submit online at our web site. Winning submissions will be published in the magazine.
Country:   United States
Email:   susan.hawkins@AllThingsIf.org
Website:   http://www.allthingsif.org/if-you-can-write

Second Annual bosque Fiction Prize
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st March 2012
Fees:   $20 for one entry.
Prizes:   $1,000 for first place. Also magazine publication.
Details:   For short stories up to 5,000 words.
Contact:   ABQ Writers Co-op, 163 Sol del Oro, Corrales NM 87048
Country:   United States
Email:   contest@abqwriterscoop.com
Website:   http://abqwriterscoop.com/writingcontest.html

ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA Via RWA

2012 THE SHEILA Contest
Sponsor: Valley Forge Romance Writers
Fee: $25.00 for all VFRW members; $30.00 for all non-VFRW members
Deadline: April 7, 2012, 11:59 p.m. EST
Eligibility: Participation is open to all RWA members, published and unpublished, who have not published a full-length novel (40K words or more) in the category entered at the time of the contest deadline (April 7, 2012) and within the past five years.
Entry: Electronic entries only. Total of 35 pages, including synopsis (not to exceed 5 pages)
Categories and Final Round Judges: Single Title Romance – Emilia Pisani, Gallery Books; Historical (short or long and Regencies) – Elizabeth Poteet, St. Martin’s Press; Fantasy/Futuristic/Paranormal – Leah Hultenschmidt, SourceBooks; Women’s Fiction with Romantic Elements – Alex Logan, Grand Central; Romantic Suspense – Katherine Pelz, Berkeley; Young Adult – Wendy Loggia, Delcorte Press/RHCB.
Judging: Entrants will receive a detailed score sheet from four qualified judges including, whenever possible, at least one RWA PAN author. The lowest score will be dropped before determining the final score. The top five entries in each category will advance to the finals.
FMI, Jeannine Standen, Contest Chair, at contest@vfrw.com.

SCRIPT WRITING OPPORTUNITIES Via ISA:

LOOKING FOR LOW-BUDGET, FEATURE-LENGTH HORROR SCRIPT 
Rey Media is looking for a low-budget, feature-length horror script. Pay is negotiable. Send script in PDF format to David Rey at reymediallc@gmail.com for consideration. Thank you.

LOOKING FOR EXCELLENT SHORT SCRIPT
Looking for a short film script of any genre. Scripts already produced are welcome – we are looking to direct it our own way. This gig is not paid; credit only. Kindly send inquiries to Ravi Shankar at 21ravishankar@gmail.com. Thank you.

AUTHOR SEEKS SCREENWRITER FOR COLLABORATION
I am an published author looking to get my first feature length movie made. I am looking for a collaborator for a script in any genre. Please contact me and send writing samples to mentalllll@yahoo.com. Please put “writing sample” in the subject line of your e-mail. There will be no pay unless the movie is sold. We split everything 50/50. Now, let’s make a movie. Mr. Shannon L. Clements

DIRECTOR SEEKS SMALL BUDGET SHORT FOR MAY SHOOT
I am a film director hoping to make a small budget short film and am looking for a drama/thriller script that can be shot in the May. You will receive a credit, a copy of the film, and screening invitations. Please contact me thru my web site contact page at http://www.deanwayneevans.com/contact-dean-evans/.

NYFA STUDENT PRODUCER SEEKS SCREENPLAY FOR THESIS PROJECT
I’m producer who is looking for a drama, family drama, or thriller screenplay for my NYFA thesis. It will consist of a complete production package for a feature film. Please attached logline and synopsis at stefania.nyfa@gmail.com. This is not a paid gig.

PRODUCER SEEKS SCRIPTS TO SHOOT FOR PILOT PITCH
BKP Films is planning to film a TV series in Austin, TX.  We would like to read a synopsis of your script, any genre. If your script is accepted, we will shoot a pilot and will pitch the show to the networks. It will be a paying gig once we are in production. Please feel free to contact me at info@bkpfilms.com for more information. Looking forward to hear from you.

STUDENT FILMMAKER NEEDS SHORT SCRIPT ASAP
Hello, my name is Chris Stone and I am currently producing a final piece for my degree at the Northern Film School and due to complications we have had to drop our project that we had been working on and are now in a position where we need to have a new project ASAP to shoot in the next month. We have an amazing crew and a nice budget and we are requesting any scripts between 5-10 pages to be submitted for consideration. We need a finished script not a first draft. Obviously you will be consulted and have input on the film but it is a wonderful opportunity to get your script made. Please send inquiries to me at chrisstone.film@gmail.com. Payment is on a lo/no/deferred basis.

NEW REALITY WEB SERIES SEEKS WRITERS
Production company producing a new reality web series seeks aspiring writers, directors and/or producers to pitch their big ideas on camera to be judged by a panel of industry professionals. The best and most viable pitches will be selected and featured in their own episode. To submit yourself for consideration make a brief video introducing yourself and telling us a little bit about who you are, and what kind of stories you want to tell. Include one or more titles and loglines of ideas you would like to pitch. Feel free to include multiple ideas. We will accept video of any quality, webcam/iphone/smartphone is fine. Please do not make tapes, DVDs, etc. Send videos to thepitch.submissions@gmail.com or upload to Youtube/Viddler as a private video and send us the link. Please make the subject of the email “ATTN: PITCH SUBMISSIONS.” IMPORTANT: Include your name and contact information so we know how to reach you. Allow 4-6 weeks for us to review submissions and contact people for callbacks. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at dragondroppers@gmail.com.

LOOKING FOR KUALA LUMPUR/SINGAPORE BASED SCREENWRITER
Looking for scriptwriters to develop a couple of scripts for feature films, tele-movies and documentaries. Requirements include: Prior experience in writing scripts for feature films is an advantage; Strong passion, creative, imaginative, enthusiasm are some of the characters that we need; Scripts you have done before; it is COMPULSORY that you are based in Kuala Lumpur & Singapore. Send your letter of enquiry to enquiry@anonymousproduction.com. This is a paid job, depending on experience and quality of your scripts.  Again, those who are not residing in Kuala Lumpur/Singapore, need not apply. More Info at http://anonymousproduction.com.

ACADEMY AWARD WINNING PRODUCER SEEKS EXPERIENCED WRITER
Academy-Award winning producer seeks experienced writer for inspirational new media company, SpiritClips.com. Must possess a mature perspective and be able to work in house. Primary responsibility will be writing short, inspirational scripts. Please take a look at our content and write a cover letter that describes why you are a good fit and supply one short (under 5 pages) writing sample. Please have at least one professional writer gig under your belt (does not have to be feature film). Pay is negotiable. Send cover letter, resume and writing sample to nare@spiritclips.com.

GETTING DAVID LYNCH WEIRD
Seeking talented and especially creative writers who would be interested in working with me on writing an upcoming feature-length film. I cannot stress enough the high level of creativity necessary for the job. I am a student filmmaker who is writing a screenplay to be shot by DSLR equipment and film crew. I am especially interested in working with other college students. This gig is not paid. Please send your expressions of interest and any questions to me (Joe Murphy) at jjmurphy239@aol.com. Thank you.

CREDITED PRODUCER SEEKS HYSTERICAL COMEDY SCREENPLAY
Currently seeking completed comedy screenplays (buddy, rom com, outrageous) featuring a leading role or strong supporting male role (25-33 years old). See IMDB Profile for Producer/Actor Matt Prater at http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm1056990/. Must have completed budget to be considered. WGA rates apply. Please send log-lines only at this time to PraterPix@gmail.com. Thank you, Melinda Jeffries, Assistant – PraterPix.

NOVICE WRITER SEEKS HELP POLISHING SCRIPT
I am a novice writer wanting someone to look over my comedy-fantasy script to resolve any differences between my UK English and American English, to correctly format the script, and, if possible, find a producer. This is a non-paying gig, but I am willing to take on an interested partner, such details to be be determined. Send inquiries to Harry Higgs at harryhiggs123@hotmail.com. Thank you.

Please remember to check out legitimacy of all contests before you enter, and to copyright all your work.

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

If you want more of me, you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin

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Stranger At The Door – What Would You Do?

Posted in Other Stuff, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 16, 2012 | 38 Comments »

I was going to blog about writing today, but a wierd thing happened to me at the beginning of the week and with it, mixed responses. It made me question whether my decision was right or wrong. Let me explain.

On Monday, I’d arranged to see a friend. As I neared her house, a police car drove up behind me, lights flashing and sirens wailing. I pulled my car to the kerb to let him pass and then continued on my way.

The police car stopped not far from my friends house. Passengers from two stationary buses had unborded and the police officer were talking to a young man.

I got to my friends front door, watched the police for a few minutes (as I’m nosey), then went inside.

An hour later there was a knock at the door. My friend was busy making lunch and asked if I would answer it. When I opened the door, a young man smiled, apologised for bothering me, and politely asked if I would telephone for an ambulance as he had chest pains. I recognised him immediately as the young gentlemen the police had removed from the bus some sixty minutes earlier, and I questioned him on this. He confirmed it had indeed been him and that he’d only been trying to get to the hospital.

The smell of alcohol was evident, and his demeanor suggested he’d had more than one drink. Nevertheless, I told him to wait where he was and I would telephone an ambulance.

After I shut the door, my friend asked who had knocked. I explained the situation to her and then telephoned the local police station. They asked several questions: How old was the gentleman? What was he wearing? My friends address? I explained the earlier bus situation and that I suspected the young man to be intoxicated, hence why I opted to phone the police and not an ambulance. The police said they’d send an officer and also contact the medical service.

I relayed this message to the young man, who still waited on the doorstep, and then shut the door again.

Outside was absolutely freezing and at this point I also considered taking out a blanket to keep him warm. My friend laughed at me and said she would have sent him on his way. But, her mum said she would have done the same as I.

Also, by now the man had drank another can of beer and now lay on the doorstep.

Less than ten minutes later a paramedic arrived. He parked a few houses down and my friend told me to go outside and get him – which I did. The paramedic checked the man, who was now unresponsive and to be honest, looked dead.

Eventually, the man opened his eyes. The paramedic worked wonders. Within two minutes we knew the guys name, age, and that he stayed in a shelter. He was only twenty-five. This revelation brought tears to my eyes. How could someone so young have already reached such a low?

The paramedic discussed the complaint of chest pains and explained that an ambulance was on it’s way but the young man couldn’t lie just to get a warm bed for the night.

Then the ambulance arrived and the man was propped up and helped into the back.

At this stage I went back indoors.

My friend thought I was totally nuts even entertaining this man in the first place, and my sister, who I later retold the story to, agreed. However, my mum and my friends mum said I’d acted correctly. My husband sat on the fence with his decision because he knows me and understood my conscious wouldn’t, regardless of this mans lifestyle, let me live with turning him away.

I am not a stupid person. I have worked for the police. I know how to deal with people, how to question people (well, apart from I when I am with Kristen Lamb and we visit Bonsai Gardens, but that is a whole other story), and under no circumstances would I have invited this person into the house.

So, my question to you is this. What would you have done? In today’s age, where people are attacked in the street and passersby don’t lift a finger to intervene, was I right? Would you have done the same? Or, was my friend and sister right? Should I have ignored him and closed the door?

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Competitions and Writing Opportunities Round Up #24

Posted in Classes, Competitions and Writing Opportunities, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 13, 2012 | 3 Comments »

This weeks competitions that have caught my eye:

FICTION: Via First Writer

Narrative Magazine Winter Story Contest
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st March 2012
Fees:   $20 for one entry.
Prizes:   $2,500 for first place. 1,000; $500; $100 x 10.
Details:   For unpublished fiction and nonfiction up to 15,000 words.
Country:   United States
Website:   http://www.narrativemagazine.com/node/163488

Hungry Hill Short Short Story
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   6th April 2012
Fees:   €5 for one entry. €3 for young writers
Prizes:   €150 for first place. Additional prizes for young writers.
Details:   A competition for short short stories (500 words maximum) on any theme. There is also an unthemed competition for under-18s, and a themed competition, The River, for under-14s.
Country:   Ireland
Website:   http://www.hungryhillwriting.com

Kelpies Prize 2012
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   29th February 2012
Fees:   £0 for one entry.
Prizes:   £2,000 for first place. Also book publication.
Details:   For children’s novels, set in Scotland, between 40,000 and 70,000 words.
Contact:  Kelpies Prize 2012, Floris Books, 15 Harrison Gardens, Edinburgh EH11 1SH
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   floris@florisbooks.co.uk
Website:   http://www.florisbooks.co.uk/kelpiesprize/enter.html

Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st March 2012
Fees:   $4 for one entry.
Prizes:   $1,000 for first place. $100.
Details:   For stories of any genre, style, or length.
Contact:   Gemini Magazine, Short Story Contest, P.O. Box 1485, Onset, MA 02558
Country:   United States
Email:   contest@gemini-magazine.com
Website:   http://www.gemini-magazine.com/contest.html

Writers & Artists Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   14th February 2012
Fees:  £0 for one entry.
Prizes:   £0 for first place. Residential writing course.
Details:   For short stories up to 2,000 words on the theme: Identity.
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   shortstorycompetition@bloomsbury.com
Website:   http://www.writersandartists.co.uk/writers/advice/stage2/competitions

Children’s Story for 5-8 year olds
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st August 2012
Fees:   £5 for one entry.
Prizes:   £100 for first place. Plus small paperback publication.
Details:   Write a story for 5- 8 year olds up to 5000 words – any theme First prize £100 plus small paperback publication, 2nd prize £50 plus website publications, 3rd prize £25 plus website publication.
Contact:   Competition secretary 18 Hillside Road Blidworth Notts., NG21 0TR
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   thynkspublications@yahoo.co.uk
Website:   http://www.thynkspublications.co.uk/competitions

Willow Springs Fiction Prize
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   15th March 2012
Fees:   $15 for one entry. $20 for international entries.
Prizes:   $2,000 for first place. Also publication.
Details:   For short fiction of any length.
Contact:   The Willow Springs Fiction Prize, Willow Springs, 501 N Riverpoint Blvd, Ste 425, Spokane, WA 99202
Country:   United States
Website:   http://willowsprings.ewu.edu/contests.php

SCRIPTS

Windsor Fringe Kenneth Branagh Award
Category:   Scripts
Closes:   5th March 2012
Fees:   £5 for one entry.
Prizes:   £500 for first place.
Details:   For plays up to 30 minutes long, with a cast of no more than six.
Contact:   The Windsor Fringe Drama Writing Award, Suite 640, 24-28 St Leonard’s Road, Windsor, Berks. SL4 3BB
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   ann.trewartha@btinternet.com
Website:   http://www.windsorfringe.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=5&Itemid=14

ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA Via RWA

 

*012 Touched By Love Award
Sponsor: Faith, Hope, and Love RWA Chapter
Fee: $20–25.00
Deadline: April 1, 2012, Midnight EST
Eligibility: Unpublished authors or authors not published in the last 3 years.
Entry: Electronic entry only. First 30 pages of an inspirational manuscript, 2-page synopsis.
Final Round Judges: Published Authors.
Top Prize: Overall winner gets an editor critique.
FMI, http://www.faithhopelove-rwa.org or email RileyK1@aol.com.

2012 Royal Ascot
Sponsor: The Beau Monde
Fee: $25 for Beau Monde Members for the first entry; $30 for Non Beau Monde Members for the first entry; $20 for subsequent entries. Multiple submissions welcome provided separate entry form and fee accompanies each.
Deadline: Friday April 6, 2012, midnight PDT: Deadline for all parts of entry.
Eligibility: Open to unpublished authors and authors who have not been contracted in book-length fiction by RWA PAN definition in the last 5 years. All entries must have at least partial Regency (Late Georgian) setting, broadly defined: within the United Kingdom between 1780 and 1840.
Entry: Entry length limited to 7,000 words (determined by computer word count).
Categories: Categories will only be used for first round judging. Six finalists will be determined based on highest score. Categories are: Regency Historical (longer Regency or Mainstream Regency-set); Hot Regency (Very sensual to Erotic Regency, at author’s discretion); Wild Regency (Paranormal, Time Travel, other similar Regency); Sweet & Mild Regency (Traditional, Inspirational, Young Adult or other without explicit sex)
Judges: Three trained first round judges, including at least one published author. Lowest score dropped.
Final Judges: A panel of agents and editors TBA.
Top Prize: $100 Grand Prize and a certificate.
FMI, email royalascotcontest@gmail.com or visit http://main.thebeaumonde.com.

SCRIPT WRITING OPPORTUNITIES Via ISA:

ESTABLISHED DIRECTOR SEEKS LOW-BUGET FEATURE SCRIPT
I’m an experienced feature director in Los Angeles looking for an excellent  limited location script with limited cast that can be produced for under 500k.  I appreciate dark, strange and original material although smart comedies are fine too; please no sci-fi or romantic comedy.  Please send loglines, synopsis and query to Chris Iovenko at trickpictures@gmail.com. Pay to be determined.

SEEKING SPEC SCRIPTS FOR THE KEYSTROKE KILLER
OTLP is currently developing the television series THE KEYSTROKE KILLER based from the original short film by the same name.  After the short film became an instant cult classic receiving 1 million hits on YouTube, a television network wants it developed.  We currently have written 12 episodes, but need 23 for the first year, then if the series is a success up to 63 scripts.  These are one hour episodes.  If your spec script is used, you will be paid according to industry standards.  To write a spec script for KSK it must be based on our characters and storyline.  Please visit www.onthelotproductions.com for the character breakdown. Send inquiries to Carol Michaels at drcarolmichaels@gmail.com. Thank you.

SEEKING SCRIPTS FOR SHORT FEATURING LAWYER CHARACTER
We have a unique opportunity to produce a short film for upcoming high profile festivals. There is NO budget and VERY limited time to film, the script needs to take that into account. Limited characters and locations covering a legal subject or with a lawyer as a main character only. Any genre except horror. Please stay away from murder mysteries or “Law and Order” type scripts – they are overdone and populate this specific festival – think outside the box.  This film is for credit only as it’s a pet project strictly for a short festival run – so if you have 8-12 pages that fit the bill, want to see your work produced, and have you name in the credits as writer submit asap. Please put “law short script submission” in the subject line and send a logline and example. If it is something we think we can work with we will request a script. Also tell us a bit about yourself. PLEASE don’t submit until your script is a final draft. We’ll be accepting screenplays till Sunday, February 26th. Writers may be considered for future gigs. We have a full slate coming up the next year and work with award winning writers. Entries and query letters will not be accepted after the 26th unless specifically posted per project. Send to Ron Smith at info@2hfc.com.

COMEDY ACTRESS SEEKS WRITERS FOR SKETCH SHOW PILOT
I am a comedy actress and I am producing a sketch show pilot. My intention is to get it picked up by one of the big TV comedy production companies. I have some great contacts in the industry, but a fully polished pilot is expected of me if I want to be taken seriously. My inspiration is ‘Smack The Pony’, ‘Little Britain and the traditional sketch show formats from back in the day, such as Tracey Ullman, French & Saunders etc. I am looking for very varied character material and therefore would most likely end up working with multiple writers. I have some extremely talented and experienced actors to bring this pilot to life so at the very least you would walk away with some great showreel pieces of the comedy sketches you have written. This pilot is unfortunately unpaid at this stage but should negotiations arise with a big production company or broadcaster then a fair contract based on equity standards would be worked out. If this is something that you would like to be a part of then please can you email me some examples of your work. I would like to receive 2 contrasting sketches using any character types you like, preferably with a female character in both of the sketches. My email is melissahartzel@live.com. For your reference my acting work can be seen on my website www.melissahartzel.co.uk. It would be great to hear from you, I can’t wait to read your material! More Info: http://www.melissahartzel.co.uk.

LOOKING FOR TREATMENT OF FOUND FOOTAGE HORROR FILM This is a paid position for an up-and-coming screenwriter with some writing experience. If you have optioned screenplays before please let us know. We are looking to get a draft of a fully-developed treatment for a “found footage” horror film. Think “Repulsion” meets “Paranormal Activity”. Salary: $2,000 We would like to see two writing samples of features and/or short films. Please email: info@magnetfilmworks.com. More Info: http://magnetfilmworks.com. Thank you.

SEEKING LOVE STORY SCRIPT FOR FEATURE FILM PRODUCTION
Dominic Perez is looking for love. Or should I say, I’m looking for a love story to produce into a feature film. If you’ve written a screenplay about love and relationships email me your synopsis to: domster2@gmail.com. This is a paying gig, but this project will be low-budget. Think Mumblecore or Dogma 95. My main focus will be on acting, character and relationships. More info at http://www.evilthingsmovie.com. Thank you.

LOOKING FOR SHORT FILM SCRIPTS
I’m looking for a writer (or a couple of writers) to work with me to produce short films of 2 -15 minutes in duration. These films are mainly to build my portfolio (and yours) from script to screen. I have all kit for all these productions and have production contacts. I’m looking for a script of 1-2 characters set in a couple of locations, or one location. This needs to be filmed in London. More Info: http://www.jgrayonline.com. Apply to: James Ian Gray, info@jgrayonline.com. Thank you.

SEEKING WRITERS FOR VARIOUS FILM GENRES
MAKS Entertainment (New Dehli, India) is seeking script writers/content writers with good command of English. 0-1 year experience for documentaries, corporate films, short films, TVC & AD films. Send inquiries to: info@maksentertainment.in. Thank you.

PRODUCER SEEKS COMEDY OR HORROR SCRIPT
I am a Spanish producer working temporarily in NY and I am looking for a script. Genre: comedy or horror. Pay to be determined. Send your logline and full synopsis to producing2012@gmail.com. Thank you.

Please remember to check out legitimacy of all contests before you enter, and to copyright all your work.

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

If you want more of me, you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin

 

Posted in Competitions and Writing Opportunities | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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Valentines Day – Romantic or Horrific?

Posted in Other Stuff, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 10, 2012 | 13 Comments »

Please note: Contains pictures and videos of a bloody nature. If you are easily offended, please do not read further.

What was you expecting? Hearts and flowers? I’m a paranormal/thriller writer. My day job is to scare the crap out of people and then kill them.

Oh, okay. Just for you lovey-dovey romantics out there……

Right, now back to business.

Valentines Day, or February 14th to those of us who don’t receive cards, is a time for secret admirers, romance, love, weekend getaways, roses, chocolates…..and murder. So I thought it would be fun to look at the horror side to valentines day.

First, let’s hit my DVD collection. And in no way do these two films reflect on me as a person…I’m just very easily pleased – even though my hubby would argue that point . :)

My Bloody Valentine

With a mad miner running around killing everybody in sight – what this film has to do with Valentines Day other than the title is anyone’s guess. But it has my man Jensen Ackles in it and that’s good enough for me :)

There’s also an ‘okay’ twist at the end…. Although, no to my liking.

What else do I have on my shelf? Ah, yes. The devilishly handsome, Mr Boreanaz in

Valentine

Now, I’m not declaring these films to be the beez-kneez of horror movies, but at least this one incorporates the Valentine theme.

It gives a couple of good scares and is totally predictable. Good news is you can probably pick up a copy for next to nothing. Happy Days!

 St Valentine’s  Day Massacre

Everybody knows this story. Al Capone had seven of the Moran Gang shot and executed on the morning of February 14th, 1929.

I can find no reason Capone orchestrated the killings to take place on this date, which is a shame.

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Even novelists are using the date to hook readers into their stories. The most famous being, Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay. At the request of the publisher, Lindsay left out the final chapter, leaving the mystery unresolved.

This decision was a canny move and led to movie adaptions and unrelenting discussions that the ’disappearances’ were in fact based on true events.

So, there is my romantic outlook on Valentines Day.

Just remember, the next time you receive an unsigned card, a dozen red roses, or prepare for your romantic blind-date, it may mean you will never see February 15th.

Happy Valentines Day :)

Now it’s your turn. What do you have planned for Valentines Day? Have you ever received anything weird on February 14th? More to the point, have you ever sent anything weird? What is the most amount of cards you’ve received? Do you know of any other movies or stories depicted around Valentine’s day? In fact, if you have anything to say and it’s related to Valentines Day, add it in the comments.

If you want more of me, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin

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30 Second Interview with…..Jane Espenson

Posted in 30 Second Interview With...., tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 8, 2012 | 8 Comments »

James Lipton and the Actors Studio did it for fun with the actors…..Now, I’m doing it for fun with the writers.
 
 
Jane Espenson is a writing machine.  Not only did she write and work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one of my favorite TV shows of the nineties (and I’m not afraid to admit it), but she also helped me out and shed light on where the word ‘frak’ originated. Yes, according to Jane, frak is a Battlestar Galactica phrase; and by the amount of times ‘frak’ has arisen in these interviews as a writers favorite curse word, I’d say we have quite a few Battlestar fans here.
 
So, who is American script writer and television producer, Jane Espenson?
 
Born in Ames, Iowa in 1964, Telly loving Jane first chased her dream of becoming a writer at the age of 13 after realising army medical  TV show M*A*S*H accepted spec scripts. Even though she was still in junior high, and without the promise of a dime, she scribbled out a draft episode….. Still yet to be submitted.
 
Years later, while Jane was studying computer science and linguistics at University of California, Berkeley, she decided to try her luck at writing again. This time her target was Star Trek: The Next Generation. As part of a script submission program open to amateur writers, and which Jane refers to as the “last open door of show business”, she submitted several spec scripts.
 
In 1992, Jane landed a position with the Disney Writing Fellowship. From here, she worked on a number of sitcoms. These included ABC’s comedy Dinosaurs and Touchstone Television‘s short-lived Monty.

 
Now in her early thirties, Jane moved to TV’s Ellen as both writer and producer. However, after only a year, she decided she needed something different to comedy. Dramatic writing caught her attention and she applied to Mutant Enemy Productions for a position on the hit show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 
 

Spike: Jane's favorite Buffy character.

Joining season three, Jane remained until the shows climactic end five years later. These five years saw her promoted from both writer and executive story editor to co-executive producer and in 2003, Jane shared the Hugo Award for Best Short Dramatic Presentation with co-writer Drew Godard for writing the episode “Conversations with Dead People“.
 
All in all, Jane wrote 23 episodes for Buffy, starting with ”Band Candy“, and finishing with Buffy’s penultimate episode, “End of Days“; and was the only staff writer to be credited on more than five episodes in a single season.

2005 saw Jane editing BenBella Books Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon’s Firefly. And in 2009, co-wrote several comic book stories for Tales of the Slayers, Tales of the Vampires and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, the one-shots Jonathan and Reunion and the limited series Haunted.

Having already wrote a third season episode, and co-writing another, Battlestar Galactica welcomed Jane in 2008 as co-executive producer. She worked on every episode for the fourth series and wrote webisodes, and in 2010 moved over to Battlestars spin-off series Caprica, where she was co-executive producer and took on show runner duties midway through the first season.

She left Battlestar with a Streamy Awards after winning Best Writing for a Dramatic Web Series for Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy

In 2010, after claiming to be a fan of Torchwood, in particular the third series, “Children of Earth“, Jane joined creator, Russell T Davies, for Torchwood: Miracle Day, writing episodes 3, 5, 7 and co-writing episode 8 with Ryan Scott. Both writers also collaborated on the webseries, Torchwood: Web of Lies, starring Eliza Dushku.

Jane co-wrote and produced her first independent original web series with co-creator Brad Bell, entitled Husbands, which revolves around the life of two newly married gay men and premiered at http://husbandstheseries.com on Sept. 13, 2011.

Even though Jane has written episodes for dramas The O.C., Jake in Progress, and Gilmore Girls, she is without a doubt, best known for writing science fiction and fantasy. TV shows such as Battlestar Galactica,  Game of Thrones, Torchwood, Angel, Dollshouse, Warehouse 13, and Once Upon a Time have all received her magic touch and are a force to be reckoned with in the ratings.

Jane is currently working as a consulting producer and writer on the ABC‘s series Once Upon a Time. 

So, what did the woman who invented the name of the drink “Zima” while working for a marketing firm make of our questions?

 1.  What is your favorite word?  Bubble
 
2. What is your least favorite word? Bitch
 
3. What turns you on?   Wordplay
 
4. What turns you off?    Waiting
 
5. What sound do you love?   Peeping
 
6. What sound do you hate? Peeing
 
7. What is your favorite curse word?   Frak
 
8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?   Zookeeper
 
9.  What profession would you not like to do?  Assassin
 
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?   ”One more time around.”

 
   
        
So, what was your favorite Buffy character? What was/is your favorite Espenson show?
 
Contact Information

For more information regarding Jane Espenson, please check out her Website, Facebook, twitter

If you want more of me, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin

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Competitions and Writing Opportunities Round Up #23

Posted in Classes, Competitions and Writing Opportunities, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 6, 2012 | 1 Comment »

This weeks competitions that have caught my eye:

FICTION: Via First Writer

Fantasy Writing Contest
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   30th June 2012
Fees:   £0 for one entry.
Prizes:   $500 for first place.
Details:   Completely free to enter and is looking for stories, of up to 8000 words, within any fantasy sub-genre. This could be traditional fantasy, epic fantasy, urban fantasy, steam-punk, and so on. More importantly though, winners will feature within an anthology alongside some of the Fantasy genres finest authors.
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   Marc@Fantasy-Faction.com
Website:   http://www.fantasywritingcontest.com

Remosa Publishing
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   29th February 2012
Fees:   £0 for one entry.
Prizes:   £0 for first place. Remosa monthly writing competition.
Details:   Monthly writing competition, winners will be published on our website for a period of 30 days. There will be a small trophy for the first prize winner. Send us your synopsis and 3 chapters advising which genre your writing is in one of the following genres : romance, paranormal romance, sci-fi/fantasy, mysteries, thrillers, romantics and general fiction. Entries to be made by email or post and additionally all entrants will be considered for publication.
Contact:   Remosa Publishing, 5 Joseph Street, Radcliffe, Manchester, M26 1JX
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   competitions.Remosa@gmx.com
Website:   http://Remosa.co.uk

DIAGRAM Innovative Fiction Contest
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   30th March 2012
Fees:   $15 for one entry.
Prizes:   $1,000 for first place. Also publication.
Details:   For unpublished stories up to 10,000 words.
Contact:   DIAGRAM Innovative Fiction Contest, c/o Ander Monson, Dept. of English, P.O. Box 210067, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0067
Country:   United States
Email:  nmp@thediagram.com
Website:   http://thediagram.com/contest.html

Rose and Crown Christian Romance
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st March 2012
Fees:   £18 for one entry.
Prizes:   £200 for first place. Publication.
Details:   For your chance to see your story in print we are now accepting Christian Romance submissions for their Writing Competition for 2012. 1st prize is £200, 2nd is £100. 1st, 2nd and 3rd Winners will be guaranteed a publishing contract, as will all the best, publishable novels! For further information visit website and remember – submissions must be in by 31st March. Good luck!
Country:   United Kingdom
Website:   http://sunpenny.com

Sunpenny Ltd. Christian Short Story
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st March 2012
Fees:   £4 for one entry.
Prizes:   £150 for first place. Published Anthology
Details:   For your chance to see your story in print we are now accepting submissions for their Open Short Storry competition. We are seeking the new and the talented. Winning manuscripts will bepublished and the author will receive cash and book prizes. For further information visit website and remember – submissions must be in by 31st March. Good luck!
Country:   United Kingdom
Website:   http://sunpenny.com

Frome Festival Short Story Competition 2
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st May 2012
Fees:   £5 for one entry. £40 for in depth critique.
Prizes:   £300 for first place. Second prize, £150, 3rd prize £75 plus extra prizes for local entrants.
Details:   For stories on any theme: 1,000 to 2,200 words. Judges: crime writer and novelist. Winning stories read by top London literary agent. Entry fee: £5 per story.
Contact:   Cheques payable to: Frome Festival Short Story Competition. No entry form required. Post entries to: FROME FESTIVAL SHORT STORY COMPETITION, c/o Frome Library, Justice Lane, FROME, Somerset BA11 1BE
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   clinkelmstreet@aol.com
Website:   http://www.fromefestival.co.uk

Limnisa / Bluethumbnail Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   15th March 2012
Fees:   £6 for one entry. Discount for members.
Prizes:   £0 for first place. One week Writing Holiday in Greece.
Details:   Short Stories of max. 3000 words on any subject. Open to writers world wide. First prize a one week, full board holiday by the sea in Greece. Runners up get 50% discount. We are looking for stories that surprise and move us!
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   entries@limnisa.com
Website:   http://www.bluethumbnail.com/Author/competitionpage.html

The Word Hut Short Story Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   18th March 2012
Fees:   £4.00 for one entry.
Prizes:   £50.00 for first place.
Details:   Maximum length is 1000 words and the story can be on any theme or in any genre. Please submit in a clear font as an email attachment. Payment is via PayPal. Full details on our website.
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   info@thewordhut.com
Website:   http://www.thewordhut.com

Writers’ Village Best Story Award
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st March 2012
Fees:   £10 for one entry.
Prizes:   £400 for first place. Every entry, win or lose, gains a free expert critique.
Details:   All entrants, winners or not, gain a helpful critique of their story – a feature thought to be unique among low-fee writing contests. Winners will be awarded the title: Winner, the Writers’ Village Best Writing spring 2012 Award, and see their work showcased online. Any genre of prose fiction may be submitted up to 3000 words, except playscripts and poetry. Entries are welcomed world-wide.
Contact:   The Old School House, Leighton Buzzard, Beds LU7 9DP, UK
Country:   United Kingdom
Website:   http://www.writers-village.org

Happily Cognating Reader’s Choice Award
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   1st May 2012
Fees:   $0 for one entry.
Prizes:   $30 for first place. Two paid runners-up.
Details:   The first contest run by a literary journal that is a brand new, one-man-show, but aspires to become noteworthy. We’re seeking submissions to our Summer (and inaugural) issue. Our goal is to find undiscovered writers (to give first bylines) and fiction that creates conversation and brings people closer together.
Country:   Germany
Email:   STCrowley1@gmail.com
Website:   http://sites.google.com/site/happilycognating/submissions

MORE FICTION

2012 Yeovil Literary Prize
Visit www.yeovilprize.co.uk for full details of the prizes on offer and how to post your entry. The competition closes on 31st May – don’t leave it till the last moment!
Our short list judges this year are Sophie Hannah (novel), Sue Freestone (short stories) and Louis de Bernieres (poetry), and all of us at the Yeovil Prize are looking forward to reading your work.

SCRIPTS Via InkTip

Nexus Entertainment – Seeking Scripts About Hannibal of Carthage
We are looking for completed feature-length scripts dealing with the life and times of Hannibal, the military tactician from Carthage. Please note we submitted this lead one year ago, and at this point in time are only looking for scripts which have been written since then, or which have not yet been pitched to us. 
Budget has yet to be determined. WGA and non-WGA writers may submit. Our credits include “American Dream” and the upcoming “Dysfunctional Friends,” among others.
To submit to this lead, please go to: http://www.inktippro.com/leads/  Enter your email address.  Copy/Paste this code: t92fnkax84
NOTE: Please only submit your work if it fits what the lead is looking for exactly. If you aren’t sure if your script fits, please ask InkTip first.

Cosmotoons Inc. – Seeking Scripts with Science Education
We are looking for completed scripts or extended treatments with a science-based educational core, i.e. something in the vein of “What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?” or “Cosmic Quantum Ray”(Animated TV series on HUB). We are not looking for submissions in the vein of Star Trek or some other sci-fi story. Please only submit if you are familiar with the above two titles. We are open to features, series, documentaries or animated projects, as long as they have a clear scientific theme and preferably based on existing book, comics, game or a toy.
Budget has yet to be determined. WGA and non-WGA writers may submit. Our credits include “Rift.”
To submit to this lead, please go to:  http://www.inktippro.com/leads/  Enter your email address.  Copy/Paste this code: rhjq0u9br4
NOTE: Please only submit your work if it fits what the lead is looking for exactly. If you aren’t sure if your script fits, please ask InkTip first.

Softcelluoid Films – Seeking High Concept Thriller Scripts
We are looking for completed feature-length high concept thriller scripts, i.e. stories in the vein of “Looper,” “Memento,” or “The Divide.” Please note that, if you can’t pitch your script in a single sentence, it isn’t high concept.
Budget will not exceed $2 million. WGA and non-WGA writers may submit.  Our credits include the multiple award winning film “Intelligence,” and we are repped by a major studio management company.To submit to this lead, please go to: http://www.inktippro.com/leads/  Enter your email address.  Copy/Paste this code: 9gyn7zsu26
 NOTE: Please only submit your work if it fits what the lead is looking for exactly. If you aren’t sure if your script fits, please ask InkTip first.

ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA Via RWA

2012 Magic Moment Contest
Sponsor: Heart and Scroll RWA
Fee: $25 for RWA members or $30 for non-members
Deadline: April 1, 2012
Top prize: $100 and certificate
Entry: Send us any ten pages of your manuscript where the hero and heroine first meet, and we’ll give you the benefit of three detailed critiques. Note: Magic Moment has gone paperless! All entrants have the option of submitting paper or electronic entries!
Judges: 1st round: experienced published and unpublished authors.
Final judge: Pamela Harty of the Knight Agency
FMI, visit www.heartandscroll.com or e-mail laurie@authorlaurielarsen.com.

2012 Query Quandary Contest
Sponsor: New Hampshire RWA
Deadline: April 1, 2012
Eligibility: Open to published and unpublished authors.
Entry: query + optional 1-pg. synopsis
FMI, http://www.nhrwa.com.

SCRIPT WRITING OPPORTUNITIES Via ISA:

LOOKING FOR SHORT FILM IDEAS 
I need an idea for a short film (>30min), a finished script is preferable. Needs to be minimal cast, little dialogue. . . and I’m a sucker for tragedies.  To give you a flavour of my style, this is my latest short: http://youtu.be/J9MCdpRUSI4. I can be contacted at info@ydpictures.com. Thank you for your consideration!

SEEKING WRITER FOR AD FILM 
We require creative assistance for generating ideas and concepts for an ad film. We are looking for someone who can deliver the best idea and theme for the film. Experience in ad film industry, specifically in creative writing part, is required. Pay is contingent. Send emails to shiveshmishra@lycos.com with questions and/or your expression of interest.

SEEKING SCREENWRITER FOR DOC/REALITY TV FORMAT 
We are looking for a screen writer for a documentary/reality TV format, which is centered around a transformational skiing experience. It needs to be someone who has experience in writing for reality TV shows with a pinch of documentary added. Please send examples of previous work with your resume to jan@skiguru.tv. For the successful candidate we offer a financial upside once we get the production financed.

NYFA PRODUCER SEEKS SCREENPLAY
New York Film Academy Producer is looking for screenwriter for script which is 90pg to 110pgs. All genres accepted. Please send your log-line and synopsis to me at jnyfa1@gmail.com. I hope to meet a great partner for the project. Thank you.

COMEDY WRITER NEEDED FOR COLLABORATION ON HIGH-CONCEPT SPEC.
I’m looking to collaborate with a skilled and experienced comedy writer on a high-concept feature spec. that a number of legit. Hollywood prodco.’s, including Benderspink, are eagerly waiting to read. I have the rough outline and the characters but trying to hit all the right beats in the step outline in terms of theme, pacing, motivation, plausibility and goals, is making my head spin. I need help with this one! This is a truly saleable idea and we need to hit it out of the park. I’m offering co-writer’s credit and 50/50 on whatever money this script might make either through an option and/or a sale (obviously I can’t promise anything). WGA-registered, produced comedy feature writers or writers who have won or placed extremely well in the comedy category of a LARGE contest only, please. Respond to countdrake@hotmail.com. Thank you.

STUDENT SEEKS SCRIPTS FOR THESIS SHOOT
I am a student and I am looking for some scripts to do my thesis. If you are interested my e-mail adress is antonella.rig@gmail.com. Thank you.

LOOKING FOR WRITERS TO CREATE NEW FANTASY SAGA
Looking for writers to join a team to create and produce a new fantasy saga. Please send examples of synopsis and treatments of works in the fantasy genre only as well as CV to us at aa@ab-product.com. Please note the following: We are looking for a writer in the London area only; We are looking for a writer with 3 years previoous experience writing; We are looking for a writer with previous feature film experience. Our budget for the writer will be £300-£500 depending on experience.  This is not a full time position. The writer will be required to come in 1 a week to show and discuss progress. Thanks and good luck.

SITCOM SEEKING STORY WRITERS
We are looking for story writers for the second series of Nigerian sitcom ‘Meet The Adebanjos’ (www.meettheadebanjos.com.) This is not a full-time role, but will require you to be flexible with your time; you will become part of a writing team, working together to create and develop episode ideas. Therefore you must be open to discussing ideas within a group environment and offering opinions during the development process. Due to time constraints, you will need to be hard-working and dedicated – we need somebody who can deliver quickly. We are asking all applicants to submit a 1 page treatment for a future episode of Meet The Adebanjos, as well as the opening scene in script format. The deadline for all applicants is Sunday 5th February and successful writers will be called for interview the following week. We are especially looking for writers who can mimic the comedic style of the first series (so it may be beneficial to watch a couple of episodes first) and can bring the characters to life. Most importantly, you will need to have a strong grasp of the sitcom format and be able to write COMEDY. This is what we will be looking for in all applications. Please reply to Jessica@meettheadebanjos.com.

EVERETT FILMMAKERS GROUP SEEKING SHORT SCRIPTS
The Everett Filmmakers Group is looking for a few good 5-10 minute scripts to produce in the coming months. Our experienced filmmakers will work with your script to produce a short feature. These not-for-profit films may be submitted to festivals. Subject matter is flexible, but writer must have full rights to the script; copyrigths of others must be respected. To submit your script for review and consideration — or for additional information– send email to larrygmcconnell@yahoo.com.

SCRIPTS SOUGHT AT FILMMAKERFORUM.ORG 
Please check our hosted forum for producers seeking scripts at http://www.filmmakerforum.org/scripts/. Thank you.

LA BASED PRODUCER SEEKS COMPLETED SCREENPLAYS W/ UP TO $4M BUDGET
PraterPix is currently seeking script packages that contain completed budgets (up to $4m USD). Scripts must be high concept and have international appeal. All genres welcome. Please send log-lines only at this time. Address your messages to PraterPix@gmail.com. WGA rates apply.  Thank you.

Please remember to check out legitimacy of all contests before you enter, and to copyright all your work.

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

If you want more of me, you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin

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