Welcome Gentle Readers

This blog tends to wander from its main purpose -- updates on my fiction. I do have updates and excerpts of my work. But I also write about my obsessions -- food, friends and pop culture and my weird life in Los Angeles. Enjoy!

Sunday, March 11, 2007

The King and I, Theoden, that is.

This has been an odd week, even by my standards. We’ve been living in a furnished, temporary housing situation with intermittent internet service (it’s cut out on me twice trying to post this blog) and a so-called bachelor’s kitchen. I believe this means that bachelors do not cook very much. I didn’t think I’d miss really cooking as much as I do. I didn’t realize it until I was chopping onions for hamburgers last nigh, that cooking is my best therapy. Little wonder I’ve been on edge for the last month. It’s been difficult to keep on top of all the projects we have on any given week when ¾ if our lives is in storage. We have two novels and two anthologies in the publishing pipeline, and that’s just the erotica side. The poetry side has a bunch of titles that need development.

On the film front, there are three projects I would call active and viable. One of the biggest ones lurched forward last week. We went public with the website (http://theprivateersfilm.com) and announced the cast we’ve signed so far. The biggest coup among the cast is signing Bernard Hill, King Theoden from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He signed on the strength of the script and despite his management’s hard line stance on contract points. We were really pleased, we really liked the man when we got a chance to meet him and we have long admired his work. Having him gives us more leverage with the other big names we’re after. Going public at this point is a move that often happens in development to indicate to the reps of actors we’re negotiating with that we are real and serious. Turning up the heat on this project means that I have to send a lot of letters via messengers and talk on the phone a lot. I usually do all of this very tiresome work while chopping leeks and garlic or sautéing something fragrant and wonderful. It’s been a tense week. And the upcoming week will be a lot more of the same.

On the positive side, one of the two recording sessions for A Soldier’s Choice was completed. I have heard Vincent speak, and it was very exciting. He sounds just like I imagined, which would make sense. The actor who did the character that inspired Vincent did his voice. What’s impressive about his performance was it was done by remote control. He is in Texas, so he wasn’t directed in the performance. He went by my vague notes (he’s 21 year old, gorgeous soldier who is war-weary) and the text I sent. We’ll have his excerpts up on the website by the 15th. A scheduling conflict kept us from getting Rik Heron’s excerpts on Saturday. We’re very hopeful that we’ll get him on Wednesday morning. He is very game to do his excerpts, so I believe it will work out. I’ll post a blog and photos after it happens.

There won’t be a contest this week. I’m working on a special prize for the next blog. We had two winners with the last contest and one from the anniversary chat. All of those have been posted.

Stay Tuned!

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