Susan May's Blog: Susan May Official Website, page 6

A SHIFT IN POWER

A CONVERSATION WITH THE MODEST, SMART, HUGELY SUCCESSFUL HUGH HOWEY, AUTHOR OF THE  'WOOL' SERIESIf he was lucky, Hugh Howey thought his 2011 self-published science-fiction novella ‘Wool’ would sell five hundred copies.  Instead, he has sold five hundred thousand, scored a seven-figure publishing deal, and had Twentieth Century Fox snap up the film rights with the iconic Ridley Scott possibly to direct.He thought he was just writing the sort of tale he wished already existed and he would then return to his other novels.  But the enthusiastic demand from Amazon reviewers caused him to hurry back to his dystopian subterranean world to continue the story.   Less than six months later he had released four more novelettes of varying lengths, the 550-page ‘Wool Omnibus’, which has since spent considerable time in the Amazon top 100 and was a #1 Bestseller in Science Fiction, and  Winner of Kindle Book Review's ‘Best Indie Book of 2012’ Award.A modest Howey, who is passionate about the options available to authors through self-publishing,wants to make it very clear that this success story is about his choice to self-publish from the beginning.“It wasn't a matter of dealing with rejection and finally resorting to this. It was a choice from the get-go.”“The first thing an industry insider will think when they hear ‘self-publishing’ is that an author gave up on the query route. I don’t query my books. I haven’t since my first novel was published by a small press and I decided to publish the rest of my books on my own.”Howey claims it took “crazy” and “lots of guts” as opposed to “clever” to create the deal that “everyone in the industry was saying would never happen—ever.”  His “brilliant” agent Kristin Nelson walked away from six-figure offers, and then seven-figure offers, to eventually strike  a deal with Simon and Schuster to distribute ‘Wool’ to book retailers across the US and Canada. The deal, though, gave Howey full rights to continue distributing ‘Wool’ online in these territories himself.  Normally, an author signs over all their territory distribution rights, which includes the increasingly lucrative e-book sales.Adds Howey, “We stuck to our convictions and we were doing well enough with foreign rights and film sales to not worry about what we were leaving on the table. To us, the goal was to get a different conversation going. And Simon and Schuster deserve all the credit for stepping up to the plate.”The deal has de-stigmatised the self-publishing door for other new and established authors to follow suit in taking control of their careers and their intellectual property.  “Many authors are now seeing the benefit of earning money now rather than waiting years for a dream that may never materialize,” says Howey.  “The route we take no longer signals the quality. It makes for an interesting time to be a writer.”Howey suggest that self-publishing may actually be a smart career move.“Many authors are now skipping the years-long submission cycle and placing their stories directly in the hands of readers (and at incredible prices). Instead of manuscripts sitting around, they are collecting sales and building a fan base. Even a handful of sales are more than none. And time is spent writing the next work rather than shopping around the last one.”Much has been written about the poor quality of self-published books and whilst self-publishing is a great opportunity, the sheer volume of releases makes it difficult for readers to find gems that aren’t peppered with errors and novice mistakes.  There is an expectation that a major commercial publisher will provide a superior read.Howey comments on this assertion, “I see typos in the first printing of major releases all the time. If you ask a reader if they’d rather have a book with two typos in it for $12.99 or one with ten typos for $2.99, I think they’ll go with the latter.”“All authors need to put out their best work possible, and Indies (independent authors) are no exception. But I do think they deserve a little more of a pass, just as an Indie rock band might release an album with some pops and static. It reminds you that you’re discovering something, not being handed something.”Instead of asking ‘How’s the writing?’ of an Indie book, Howey suggests the question should be: ‘How’s the story?’“Readers care less about writing and more about gripping tales with unforgettable characters. The publishing industry is largely run by English majors who think we should care about pristine prose. They don’t understand the success of ‘Twilight’, Dan Brown, and E.L. James. They wish everyone was reading and discussing literary works. This is why they often miss out on books with wild potential.”“If you have to lean one way, it shouldn’t be towards the writing. And I say that, as someone who cherishes fine prose and agonizes over every one of my sentences. But only after I’ve crafted what I hope is an addictive story.”‘Wool’ is indeed one of those addictive stories. Set in a not-too-distant future, the story takes readers into the world of a Silo, home to thousands of descendants of the survivors of a sixty-year-prior cataclysmic disaster.  Nobody remembers what happened but outside the Silo, the world is in ruin with air too toxic to breathe.Those living inside are bound by strict rules.  One being you must never express the desire to go outside. Doing this, will automatically see you sent outside in a specially made suit to participate in what is known as a ‘Cleaning’.  Unwise unfortunates as well as convicted criminals are sent to clean the one wall-screen allowing the inhabitants a view on the desolate world.  Within minutes their suits break down and they are asphyxiated.The Silo is tiered with two hundred levels and maintains a systemised society of engineering, I.T., administration, food production and Government, all on different levels.  ‘Wool’ begins the story with the Sheriff who has lost his wife to a ‘Cleaning’.  But readers then move through the volumes to view the Silo habitat through the eyes of various characters including Juliette, an engineer who begins to question the values and rules of the system. Then the fun really begins.It is a grim, claustrophobic vision of the future and Howey admits he cannot be sure of the story’s origins but he shares that silos were always a part of his life. “My father was a farmer and had two large grain silos behind his barn that we played in and on top of.”“I also grew up in the Cold War Era and another type of silo was the missile variety. We practiced nuclear drills in grade school. People built bunkers. I took it as an axiom that people would one day live underground while a wasteland raged overhead.”The limited view of the outside world via the wall-screen is a central component of the story.  “It came from my wariness of 24-hour news,” says Howey, “and what I fear a constant barrage of bad news does for our perception of the world. What if it really isn’t so bad out there? What if we’re bold enough to go see the world for ourselves?”In his own way, Howey has widened the perception of the self-publishing world,that outside the landscape of traditional publishing there is a richer world than initially imagined.He believes publishing opportunities are broadened with the two working together such as the publisher initiated idea with the Wool U.K. edition.  The book contains the first chapter of the already e-published follow on series, ‘First Shift Legacy’, and concludes the free chapter urging readers to immediately purchase the already-available e-book, even though the print copy is yet to be released.“What’s great about this,’’ adds Hugh, “is that a major publisher embraced e-book availability before the print book was available! I’ve always thought this should be the case. It helps make for a stronger print debut. For proof, Wool hit #8 on the ‘Sunday Times Bestseller’ list in the U.K. upon release, almost unheard of for a debuting author. The only reason that was possible was because of the existing fan base and word-of-mouth generated by the e-book sales. I think publishers are doing the opposite of what’s good for their customers, their authors, and themselves, when they hold the e-book back in an attempt to protect hardback sales.”Whilst many authors complain of the deadlines imposed by their publishing contracts, Howey says, “I was the one who dictated the release schedule and told Random House (his U.K., Australian publisher) when I would have each book available. I have yet to sign a contract where someone demanded or expected a book from me at a particular time. The pressure to release multiple books swiftly has come from indie authors.We are making a great living off our work and enjoying the rapport with our readers.We just want that to continue.”With his publishing success, Howey’s only complaint is that his wife misses him whilst he is whisked away from his South Florida home on long book tours through Europe, the U.K. and currently the U.S.  The benefits though have outweighed the negatives, with the author now able to enjoy more free time at home after success saw him resign his day job as a bookshop employee. Even with the extra work load of his new found celebrity he still maintains his daily 2000 word-a-day count. “But it has meant some long days.”And if he were ever banished into a deserted silo with time on his hands, the busy author says he would read Shakespeare’s and Edgar Alan Poe’s complete works, and ‘Ulysses’, not because he thinks the latter is any good but he figures, “it’s the only way I’d ever read it. It took being stranded on an island to finally read ‘War and Peace’. No joke. I Loved it.”So many authors quote their indebtedness to their agents or publishers for their success but Hugh Howey, as one of the poster-children of the new social media and self-publishing phenomena, is adamant who is the major inspiration and support for him. It’s his readers. In ‘Wool’s’ Amazon Book description he writes, “Thanks go out to those reviewers who clamored for more. Without you, none of this would exist.”It may be, in the not-too-distant future that many successful self-published authors will leave a similar inscription in their Amazon sales pitch, but with one added line, “If not for Hugh Howey and his crazy courage, none of these stories would exist.”Read my review of the sensational WOOL:Click hereREAD MORE ABOUT HUGH(Seriously you need to if you are a writer)Hugh Howey is the author ofWool, a bestselling novel that has appeared in the top 5 of sciencefiction on Amazon. He is also the author of the award-winning Molly Fyde Saga. He lives in Boone, N.C. with his wife Amber and their dog Bella.Follow Hugh Howey on FacebookSign up to receive Hugh Howey's newsletterVisit Hugh Howey's official websiteFollow Hugh Howey on TwitterIf you have enjoyed this musing, do hop over and register for my very random newsletter. Straightaway you will receive two fantastic short stories FREE. You'll also be the first to know when I have exciting news to share like free books (international) and film ticket giveaways (Australia). Hop over here:http://eepurl.com/3P-WzMy Amazon author page:http://www.amazon.com/Susan-May/e/B00EYBGUC8/

The Big Secret

Google “Advice on Writing”.  Go on.  The result you will receive is about 258 million results in 0.32 seconds—that’s quick.  That tells me there are millions of people giving advice on writing to the millions who wish to write and are searching for the definitive answer.There are a thousand books on it too, and do not forget the workshops—oh and the writing groups.  My lovely librarian recently walked me over to a poster on the library wall.  She knows I write.  I tell everyone I am a writer—I enjoy the funny looks I get.So she pointed at the poster and said, ‘Would you like to come to this?  It’s a workshop on writing.  Only five dollars.’  We both peered at the poster.  There was another poster alongside it, on journaling for children, ten to fourteen years.‘The journaling might be better, I think—for the children.’  I wanted to say, I don’t do workshops but I thought that sounded a little arrogant.  Instead, I said, ‘I’ll check my diary.’Fade out from this scene, and then fade in on Twitter this morning.  There was a tweet promoting a blog post about ten mistakes made by writers.  I think it was ten.  You could probably write one hundred if you set your mind to it.It was a reasonable blog post, so I retweeted it, but added—without thinking—"The true Secret to writing well...Read.  Write. Repeat."And there you have it, whether you like that advice or not. There is The Big Secret to writing well.  You must read and read and read and then, in between that, you must write and write and write.Did I know this little gem two years ago?  No way.  When I decided I was going to take writing seriously and set out on my wobbly page-a-day goal, I thought, ‘Lets see how far I get before someone tells me I’m wasting my time.’  I didn’t know I needed to be toting up words like I was working out at a gym.THE BIG REVEALFade out from Twitter and fade into a little coffee get together at one of those gorgeous book stores with its own groovy little café nestled amongst the merchandise.  It’s a Sunday morning and there at a table is me, a Perth writing tutor and three other  enthusiatic writers in the making.It was a free talk on ‘How to get published.’  I thought, it might be a great way  to meet people.  I’d actually won a writing competition on the Tutor’s website, so along I went  in support and for the fun of it.An hour in, one of my fellow attendees commented, ‘I’m not very good.’To which I offered, ‘Just keep writing.  Everyone goes through it—and read a lot.  You will get better.  It’s inevitable.’Then I realised, when she looked at me like I had just said, 'Strip naked, spin around 3 times and yell hallelujah,' that  the ladies were waiting for the Big Secret reveal.  The problem is, it doesn't come at workshops.  I’m not putting down workshops.  I always say, ‘whatever works for you. Just make sure it is working for you.’There is a point when you simply realise you are on a path, and where you are is where you are, until you write some more.   Writing experts will give you the answer for which you are looking.  But they won’t give you the answer you really need.DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGERI am not saying you should not study the mechanics of writing.  I have done that and attended creative writing workshops decades ago.  It is important to know the basics, so that when your story is not working you have an idea where you went wrong.  If you are new to writing, do go and enrol in a creative writing course.  They are great fun.  You do learn important things and meet people with whom you can share your passion.  But eventually you don’t need them.The three workshops I have attended in the past two years did teach me one thing: that I did not need to go to them anymore.  My husband knew that from the beginning.  Every time I would wave an ad at him and say, ‘This looks interesting.  Do you think I should go?’  He would say, ‘But you know what you need to do.  Sit down and write.  That workshop is time you could be writing.’It took me a year to believe him and then the workshops cured me.  I kept meeting people at them who told me that if they didn’t go to a workshop or attend a writing group they wouldn’t write. They were not there to learn.  They were there seeking inspiration and paying dearly for it—not just with money but in precious time.I even met a woman, who had left her job as a journalist  to finish her book.  She had not finished it yet.  ‘How long ago did you leave your job?’  I said, thinking a year.’‘Five years,’ she said.  ‘I’m stuck on a bit in the book and I come to these things to gain inspiration.’‘Why don’t you give that one up and start a new book?’  I said.  ‘Even write some short stories, mix it up, and keep moving.  I won some competitions with my short stories.  They pay you money.’  I am very enthusiastic in my encouragement and sharing of The Big Secret.Her tone changed then.  ‘I don’t care about money for short stories.  I’m a serious writer.’I wanted to say, ‘I don’t care about the money either.  It just gives you a deadline and keeps you writing, keeps your mind fresh.’  But she had already sidled away, pretending she knew someone on the other side of the room.  Maybe that person was also a stuck-serious-writer and they could commiserate together.Raymond Bradbury said that ‘to become a good writer, write a short story a week for ten years.  At the end of that, you will be good.’  I really wanted to yell that out to her, along with, ‘Don’t shoot the messenger.’I REPEATNow just for the record, in case you think as we near the end of this post that I will have any other ground-breaking revelations for you, I repeat:To become a good writer and build a road to Great Writerdom-that’s not a word by the way but it sounds good—you must  Read, Write and Repeat.Stephen King says it.Stephanie Meyers says it. J.K. Rowlings says it. And Raymond Bradbury said it.  It is the worst kept secret in the literary world.  But nobody listens.  Inexperienced writers keep thinking there must be an easier way; a special wand at the workshops to transform you from blah to yeeha.Sorry no cigar there.  It’s not in the “How to” books either.  So close them up now.  Actually it is, you will find it in every “How to” book hidden amongst all the other stuff that you usually forget.IT’S A HARD LESSONI have learnt this truth over these two years.  It is a hard lesson, and many will fall by the wayside.  There are thousands of writer’s souls strewn along the path to greatness.  The first two to three hundred thousand words will almost kill you.  That is a fact.Along the way, you will cry—real tears of discouragement.  You will hang your head in shame as you read back the pulp you've produced.  Fear will grip you when you take more than a few days break from your discipline—when you return to the keyboard, will the muse alight upon your shoulder or will your mind be barren and desolate?  Will you ever write anything others will want to read?  These are the arrows and rocks hurled at you—by your non-supportive inner critic—for daring to believe you can write.  Especially in the beginning when you really cannot write a damn.But when you hear that disparaging voice, when you feel disheartened, I want you to repeat these words.  ‘I will conquer.  I will succeed because I know The Big Secret.  I do not need anyone’s permission.  I do not need anyone else’s help.  I have The Big Secret to guide me.Now, with great conviction, like you really believe it—because deep down you know its true—repeat after me:I will Read.  I will Write.  I will Repeat.If you have enjoyed this musing, do hop over and register for my very random newsletter. Straightaway you will receive two fantastic short stories FREE. You'll also be the first to know when I have exciting news to share like free books (international) and film ticket giveaways (Australia). Hop over here:http://eepurl.com/3P-WzMy Amazon author page:http://www.amazon.com/Susan-May/e/B00EYBGUC8/

Throwing Imagination Out With The Bath Water

Imagination is a muscle.  I know this because when I didn’t use it for years, in a storytelling way, it shrunk.  For a long time, I couldn’t conceive a story idea even if it hit me in the head and wrote itself.  And that lasted twenty plus years.Later, when I did throw myself into storytelling, it took months of writing, (the only story my mind possessed for  the past ten years), before other small ethereal ideas began alighting upon me.  My imagination was slowly awakening, and with that awakening began a trickle and then a flood of story concepts.They were everywhere and so abundant that I have now given up writing them down.  No longer do I worry if I will run out of ideas.  Instead, I worry if there is enough time left  in my life to write all the good ones.A TRENDThis post isn’t about imagination or story ideas, though.  It’s about a worrying trend—and it could be just me worrying—but did you know that narrative creative writing makes up less than fifteen per cent of the Australian English curriculum?  Check in your own country, I imagine its' similar.Several teachers have recently  informed me that the emphasis for literary education was in the writing skills needed in everyday life—persuasive writing, reporting, and letter writing.  They told me that narrative writing would definitely be important for a writer to study, but that very few children were going to grow up to be writers.  (They really should check Twitter. There seems to be millions on there).These reports and persuasive argument skills are the more important literary tools in the  automated programming  necessary for their University years, work and everyday life, they tell me.  They are teaching them to write letters too.  Even though, I don’t know anyone who writes personal letters, except my seventy-eight year old Aunty—and she doesn’t own a computer.I wonder though, if you have an encouraged, resilient imagination through creative writing wouldn't that  translate into more interesting letters and reports?  It worked for me.  In a misguided attempt at an MBA, I received a distinction for an essay for which I had hardly researched—I had two babies at the time.  The tutor commented, ‘I have given you this distinction not for the content because I’m not sure if you really nailed it.  You score is for how much I enjoyed the read.’IN MY DAYIn the sixties and seventies, during my school years, narrative writing was all we did, interspersed with the occasional review of a book or poem.  Of course, as you would expect of a writer, English was my favorite subject and the only reason I wanted to attend school.  All the other subjects bored me and once I achieved a reasonable understanding of math I thought, well that will do me for life and I no longer listened.I flunked history and geography because, frankly, I couldn’t see the point.  My cocky, fifteen-year-old self advised the poor cooking and sewing teachers that I did not need to learn to cook and sew because I would be rich and have servants. What an imagination. right?  In German, I cut a deal with the teacher that as long as I passed then I did not have to attend class.  Subsequently, I spent those lessons down by a creek near the school reading and writing.  Had I attended school now, with this lack of emphasis on narrative expression, would I have seen writing as my future?Whether a child’s destiny is to become a writer or not, is not the point of narrative writing as a child.  One of the most valuable tools a person needs, writer or not, is not  mastery of the English language but imagination. And, for me, imagination trumps all skills and education.My imagination, encouraged throughout my school years by creative writing exercises, has taken me further than being a writer.  It helped me imagine distant lands I wanted to visit, which from age twenty I did and continue to do.  It helped me see a business opportunity in my late twenties that became an exciting multi-million dollar success.  Everything created within that business opportunity came, not from my education, but from my greatest asset, my imagination—an imagination fertilized most fervently whilst writing stories at schools.A LOSS?I am saddened to hear that our children will lose precious opportunities to utilise their imagination.  This is particularly poignant in an era where the gift of imagining, and maybe not education, have delivered us Steve Jobs,who dropped out of college after six months and spent the next 18 months dropping in on creative classes.  Then we have another imagination major, Steven Spielberg, who in 2002, after a thirty-five year intermission, finished his degree via independent projects at CSULB, receiving a B.A. in Film Production and Electronic Arts with an option in Film/Video Production.  Hardly something he needed to do to continue his success.Since the emergence of man, stories have told our history and encouraged our future. Whilst we are preparing our children for their adult lives, could the educator’s also find a way to encourage their student’s dreaming lives?These young people will all too soon spend a long time, as adults, writing their pragmatic reports and persuasive texts.  Could we just allow them a few short years with their unicorns, wizards, pirates and fairies?  Let us encourage their imaginations to flex and grow whilst they are young, so that one day they may not become a robot in a system, but a person who remembers imagining they were a robot and dreaming of saving the world.I leave you with Yeats…People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition end by starving the best part of the mind.  ~William Butler YeatsIf you have enjoyed this musing, do hop over and register for my very random newsletter. Straightaway you will receive two fantastic short stories FREE. You'll also be the first to know when I have exciting news to share like free books (international) and film ticket giveaways (Australia). Hop over here:http://eepurl.com/3P-WzMy Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Susan-May/e/B00EYBGUC8/

Finders Keepers by Stephen King

If you enjoy these musings, do hop over and register for my very random newsletter. Immediately you will receive two fantastic short stories FREE. You'll also be the first to know when I have exciting news to share like free books (international) and film ticket giveaways (Australia).Hop over here:http://eepurl.com/3P-Wzor you can LIKE me on FACEBOOK:http://buff.ly/1IQ9T9eBOOK REVIEWRating:                    ✪✪✪✪½ out of 5 StarsRelease Date:                      June 2015Publisher’s Website: Hachette AustraliaMy review of #1 in the Bill Hodges' Trilogy Mr Mercedes:CLICK HEREMy thoughtsStephen King doesn’t often write a series. Yes, I know he’s written The Tower Series, which I did try and read recently, but it’s not my cup of tea. However, he's better known for his stand-alone novels and they're the ones I love most. In the past few years, his storytelling has moved into a whole other realm of brilliance. Finders Keepers is again one of his best.This story follows on from 2014 Mr Mercedes. King opens with a new set of characters: well-rounded, intense, and with fascinating backstories. King loves to plumb the eccentricities of authors and their fanatic fans, having ventured into this territory previously many times, most famously with Misery and he's at it again.It’s 1978 and petty thief Morris Bellamy murders beloved author John Rothstein in a botched robbery. After Rothstein ends his famous Runner trilogy unsatisfactorily in Bellamy’s opinion, he is after any unpublished work still in Rothstein’s house. What he finds is plenty of cash and a treasure trove of moleskin notebooks containing further Runner novels and notes. Worried about police pursuit, he buries his booty in a trunk near the river behind his childhood home.In present day, Peter Staubers, whose father was badly injured in the events that opened Mr. Mercedes, where a car was driven into a crowd of job seekers by a lunatic, now lives in Bellamy’s old home. Peter finds the mysterious trunk and becomes obsessed with the notebooks, too. He secretly sends instalments of the money to his struggling family.The story flashes back and forward between the two eras and characters and we discover why Bellamy abandoned his treasure. It isn’t until a fair way into the story that private detective Bill Hodges (the lead character from Mr. Mercedes) enters the story. Hodges is brought in to investigate who is the Stabbers family's mysterious benefactor. Eventually all characters come together in a satisfying and thrilling ending.King seamlessly interweaves the characters and storylines from Mr Mercedes, including Mr Mercedes himself. Both Mr Mercedes andFinders Keepers are brilliant, enjoyable reads. King is still the master of the thriller, stand alone, series or trilogy.P.S. I just love the FINDERS KEEPERS and MR MERCEDES covers. In paperback they have a real dimension.I received a copy of this book fromHachette Australiafor an honest review. Thank you to the wonderful book-loving people there.More about this book at: Finders KeepersMy review of Mr Mercedes:Mr MercedesVideo of Stephen King talking about his inspiration for Mr Mercedes:CLICK HEREBOOK BLURB'Wake up, genius.' So begins King's instantly riveting story about a vengeful reader. The genius is John Rothstein, a Salinger-like icon who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn't published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away for another crime. Decades later, a boy named Pete Sauberg finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he's released from prison after thirty-five years.About the author:Stephen King is the bestselling author of more than fifty books. His novels include Carrie, The Shining and Revival. His novel Under the Dome is now a major TV series. His novel 11.22.63 won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller as well as the Best Hardcover Book Award from the International Thriller Writers Association.Many of his books have been turned into celebrated films including Misery, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Over the years, King has had various cameo roles in film adaptations of his books as well as playing rhythm guitar in the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock and roll band made up of some of America's bestselling and best-loved writers. He was the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives with his wife, novelist Tabitha King, in Maine, USA.

What's on at the movies 11th August 2016?

On the weekend, my family and I caught the controversial remake ofGHOSTBUSTERS. We were away on the cruise from hell when the screening was held. I can see why it didn't do so well. It has nothing to do with the female leads and everything to do with the film. It's just very old and cliched and not particularly exciting. The ongoing joke of Chris Hemsworth as the not-so-bright assistant gets tired very quickly. Individually, I love all the leads. Kristin Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and Kate McKinnon. But like I always say I rarely find Melissa McCarthy funny, although I love her persona. Oddly the critics enjoyed this, maybe out of support against the misogynist commentary before the film ever opened, but general patrons aren't so kind.Thanks, though, to manager Kevin atReadings Cinemas Belmontfor allowing us to sneak in and catch it on a wet and cold Saturday afternoon and for the big tub of popcorn, which my kids promptly argued over. I'm not saying this because they look after me there, but certainly Readings is my favourite cinema andTitan XCmy favourite screen in Perth.NEWSSUICIDE SQUAD SETS BOX OFFICE RECORDSWarner Bros’ Suicide Squad is crushing it in the USA in midweek numbers, busting through Guardians of the Galaxy‘s grosses one after another. After opening to $133.3M in 57 markets this weekend to push it past comp Deadpool, the movie based on the DC Comic has grossed an estimated $15.7M Monday with another $15.3M on Tuesday to bring its international cume up to $165M. With US domestic haul of $161M added in, David Ayer’s raucous romp hasgrossed a $326.1M for the studio so far.In Brazil, Suicide Squad has passed the entire run of Guardians of the Galaxy after only six days in release there, scooping up $14.9M.With its top offshore market so far being the U.K. with $19.7M, the supervillain pic starring Will Smith, Jared Leto and Margot Robbie salso pushed over Guardians’entire gross run in South Korea with $12.1M after only one week in release. That country has a holiday next weekend with the celebration of its Independence Day on August 15, which might help moviegoing in the territory. Its No. 2 offshore market is Russia ($14.2M), followed by Mexico ($13.2M), and Australia ($12.3M).In its second weekend domestically, look for the film to hit $51M-$54M, while overseas, it’s expecting another big weekend. The film is the biggest August openerboth abroad and stateside. Overseas, it’s also chalked up the second-biggest DC Comics movie opening, behind only this year’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.To give you a comparison in Australia, Captain America grossed $33.7 million and Deadpool $43.26 million and Star Wars The Force Awakens $31.02 millionTHE CONJURING 2 BECOMES THE #1 HORROR FILM OF ALL-TIME AT THE AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND BOX OFFICES

Warner Bros. Pictures and Roadshow Films are proud to announce that New Line Cinema’s THE CONJURING 2 has become the highest grossing horror film at the Australian and New Zealand box offices. 

The 2016 supernatural thriller, from Australian horror mastermind James Wan, has conjured up over $10.75 million at the Australian box office, surpassing 2001’s THE OTHERS on $10.73 million; THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) on $10.24 million; THE CONJURING (2013) on $8.87 million and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2007) on $8.63 million.

In New Zealand, the film has grossed $2.215 million, overtaking the classic horror flick SCREAM (1996).LOUDER THAN BOMBS     ✪✪✪½ Opens August 11Louder than Bombs is a film for the cinephiles. It steals a little from the slice of life Richard Linklater style (Boyhood, Before Midnight) and I do like that. Director Joachim Trier has the confidence to allow the story to unfold without the dramatics a big Hollywood drama would require. Gabriel Byrne, Isabelle Huppert and Jesse Eisenberg are all marvellous, but this is an extremely somber film of a family dealing with the death of a matriarch, who wielded a powerful influence over their lives before and now after her death.There's a lot I liked about this film. It's well crafted, contemplative and, for me, the teenage interactions hit a little close to home (I say 'a little' because my kids aren't as distanced as these, but have their moments). Don't go along expecting a pacy story. It's just a slice of one family's life and dealing with issues I pray most of us will not encounter. I won't say enjoyable, but interesting.Film BlurbAn upcoming exhibition celebrating photographer Isabelle Reed three years after her untimely death brings her eldest son Jonah back to the family house – forcing him to spend more time with his father Gene and withdrawn younger brother Conrad than he has in years. With the three of them under the same roof, Gene tries desperately to connect with his two sons, but they struggle to reconcile their feelings about the woman they remember so differently. From acclaimed director Joachim Trier (OSLO, AUGUST 31ST), starring Gabriel Byrne, Isabelle Huppert and Jesse Eisenberg. Screening exclusive to Cinema Paradiso.BAD MOMS ✪✪✪✪ Opens August 11From the tone of the poster I had very little hope of enjoying this film. After sitting through Sausage Party the night before I was beginning to feel like a very faint popular culture canary wilting in my cinema seat.However, I was pleasantly surprised. Very pleasantly surprised. Bad Moms is bordering on one of those gross out films, this time with moms behaving badly. But, this film is actually laught-out-loud funny, goes to the edge but pulls back in time, has a great message, and most of all real heart. So much so, I had a few tears at the end when the moms of the actresses sat with their daughters sharing their own bad mom experiences.I took several friends and a friend's fifteen-year-old daughter and they all loved it. The leads Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Christina Applegate, and Jada Pinkett Smith prove they are very good comedians and don't need men as a back up in comedy. Go girl power! Ladies, leave the young ones at home and get to a cinema with your gal pals and enjoy. Really one of the better ones.Film BlurbIn this new comedy from the grateful husbands and devoted fathers who wrote The Hangover, Amy (Mila Kunis) has a seemingly perfect life--a great marriage, over-achieving kids, beautiful home and a career. However she's over-worked, over-committed and exhausted to the point that she's about to snap. Fed up, she joins forces with two other over-stressed moms on a quest to liberate themselves from conventional responsibilities--going on a wild, un-mom-like binge of long overdue freedom, fun and self-indulgence--putting them on a collision course with PTA Queen Bee Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) and her clique of devoted perfect moms. Also stars Kristen Bell & Jada Pinkett SmithSAUSAGE PARTY  Opens August 11I have no words. I'm about thirty-five years older than the demographic. I can't even rate it, because it is in a category of its own.  If you like the Seth Rogan gang, and there are a few who do (mostly twenty-year-old males, I suspect), you will enjoy and find this clever. Those over thirty need not imbibe. What do I think of food having a human-like sex life and behaving badly? All I can say, is that it left a bad taste in my mouth.Film BlurbA misplaced sausage and his savory friends embark on an existential adventure through the aisles of a massive supermarket in this raunchy animated comedy from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. As the store's annual 4th of July sale draws near, the perishable pals must return to their rightful places on the shelves before the customers come flooding in to fill their carts. Conrad Vernon (Monsters vs. Aliens) takes the helm for this Sony Pictures/AnnaPurna Pictures co-production penned by Rogen, Goldberg, Kyle Hunter, and Ariel Shaffirwhich. ~ Jason Buchanan, RoviSPECIAL EVENTSCINEFEST OZ FILM FESTIVAL 2016Australia's SouthwestDate:Wednesday August 24 & August 28Time:Various TimesLocation:Western Australia South WestDetails and BookingSet in the seaside centres of Busselton, Bunbury, Dunsborough and the Margaret River wine region, CinefestOZ premieres feature films and events in the region’s cinemas, wineries, small bars and galleries, making it a feast for the senses and an unforgettable five-day getaway.With such a large score of Australian features, there will be an impressive group of esteemed industry professional accompanied the various films on offer. Heading the Film Prize Jury is acclaimed directorGillian Armstrong.Joining her in the festival experience is multi-award winning novelist, playwright, television writer,screenwriter and lyricist Ben Elton(Upstart Crow); comedian, screenwriter and directorTim Ferguson(Film Prize Finalist Spin Out); Cinesnaps PatronMyles Pollard(Drift); Logie winning actorLincoln Lewis(Spin Out); actress, director and writer Matilda Brown (The Death and Life of Otto Bloom); actor and writer Matthew Whittet (Girl Asleep); actress Sara West (Bad Girl) and actor Aaron McGrath (Jasper Jones) alongside one of Australia’s greatest and most-loved actorsMagda Szubanski. Plus many more!Films screening include The Death and Life of Otto Bloom, Girl Asleep, Jasper Jones, Spin Out, Blood Father (Mel Gibson), Down UnderIn 2015, CinéfestOZ highlights included:Over 150 public screenings of Australian and French feature films, documentaries and short films160 free community screeningsFilm-related events, open to the public and ranging from Red Carpet premiere gala nights to intimate short film screenings in cosy barsForums with filmmakers and cast members through Q&As and ‘In-Conversation’ eventsThe $100,000 CinefestOZ Film Prize in 2015 attracted thirty-five entries of Australian features and documentaries and Putuparri and the Rainmakers was presented with the CinefestOZ Film PrizeFilmmaking workshops for public participationScreen industry workshops held in conjunction with ScreenWest, Screen Australia and the South West Development Commission (SWDC)READING CINEMAS ADVANCE SCREENINGSFRIDAY FRIGHT NIGHTTHE SHALLOWSDate:Friday August 12Time:9:00pmLocation:Readings BelmontDetails and BookingFilm season opens Thursday August 11Gold Glass $28   General Session $10In the taut thriller The Shallows, when Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself on the feeding ground of a great white shark. Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of Nancy's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude.READING CINEMAS SPIT THE DUMMY SESSIONBAD MOMSDate:Wednesday August 17 & August 24Time:10:00amLocation:Readings BelmontDetails and BookingReadings also has The Spit the Dummy session every Wednesday. Next week they are screeningBAD MOMS. The lights are dimmed and stay on and the sound is lowered. Tickets are the usual $10THE GOONIES(monkey collective immersive)Date:28th AugustTime:8pm for the fun. Film starts 9pmLocation:Luna LeedervilleDetails and Booking“It’s gonna hit you so hard that when you wake up your clothes will be out of style!” (We havesold out in as little as 4hours. If this is your film, don’t wait.)Pre-screening entertainment from 8PM, film screening 9PM at Luna Leederville. Tickets $22 include a goodie bag. Your goodie bag packed with items and chants to play along with throughout the screening.This is no Ordinary Screening....... Tonight you are IN the film!! But first you gotta do the Truffle shuffle… From 8pm you can grab pre-show drinks and witness actors run amok in the foyer!In Cinema Bar with Cocktails and Costume CompetitionTreat yourself to some treasure at the amazing Frontier 3D prop shop. Snag a photo with One eyed willy and his Mound of treasure. This is a mad favourite of ours…things might get a bit out of hand…Strictly 18+ We will be rude, crude and extremely unapologetic.I'm setting booty traps..National Theatre Live EncoreA VIEW FROM THE BRIDGEDate:Saturday13th & Sunday 14th AugustTime:1pmLocation:Luna LeedervilleDetails and BookingFollowing its smash-hit original broadcast, the Young Vic’s ‘magnetic, electrifying, astonishingly bold’ production of A View from the Bridge returns to cinemas due to audience demand.This stunning production of Miller’s tragic masterpiece won a trio of 2014 Olivier Awards including Best Revival, Best Actor for Mark Strong (The Imitation Game; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) and Best Director for Ivo van Hove.The great Arthur Miller confronts the American dream in this dark and passionate tale. In Brooklyn, longshoreman Eddie Carbone welcomes his Sicilian cousins to the land of freedom. But when one of them falls for his beautiful niece, they discover that freedom comes at a price. Eddie’s jealous mistrust exposes a deep, unspeakable secret – one that drives him to commit the ultimate betrayal.Winner Tony Awards 2016: Best Direction of a Play (Ivo Van Hove) and Best Revival of a Play!I hope you are enjoying my new website.  You can subscribe now and receive an alert whenever there is a new post. So you never need to miss out on the weekly film reviews or any news.If you've arrived here as a fan of my stories, pleasejoin my Wonderful Readers' Club. You instantly receive two FREE eBooks. There are, also, regular giveaways, more free books, and news. Plus, I have a new book coming in SeptemberThe Troubles Keeper, which I think will keep readers up late into the night. I'm sure you'd enjoy being part of the festivities for it.

How to find Susan May

Since I’e changed over to a private domain, my blog won’t RSS feed out to places where I live like my Amazon Page or my Good Reads author page. Until I can work this out (I’ve been trying for a year), I thought the best thing is to set up another blog at WordPress that will feed into other places as an advertisement. I’d transfer everything here, but I have almost 5 years invested in my Blogger blog.

So, latest blog post from my site is here: www.susanmaywriter.com

If you skip over there you will find film reviews and my book reviews, plus occasional giveaways. If you’d really like to hear about my books and enjoy freebies from me and other great authors join my Wonderful Readers Club:

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Please visit me at my website or other places where cool authors hang.

Film Reviews for this week 10th September 2015

As I keep saying, I can't get my darn blog to feed over here since I changed to a domain, so here are the film reviews for the week for the film buffs among us:

Films Reviewed this week: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trial, People Places Things, & The Wolfpack. Which one passes the trial with flying colors and which one is a waste of time?

http://buff.ly/1JXnblb

Film reviews 3rd September 2015

Like I've said, I can't get my blog to feed over to here ever since I swapped it to a personal domain name. So here's a link through to my website for film reviews for the week:

Film Reviews for the week, friends. STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON and A WALK IN THE WOODS. Two good films for a very different market. A couple I haven't previewed, but thought I'd mention.

For the record, I still LOVE Robert Redford!

http://www.susanmaywriter.com/2015/09...

Film reviews 3rd September 2015

Like I've said, I can't get my blog to feed over to here ever since I swapped it to a personal domain name. So here's a link through to my website for film reviews for the week:

Film Reviews for the week, friends. STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON and A WALK IN THE WOODS. Two good films for a very different market. A couple I haven't previewed, but thought I'd mention.

For the record, I still LOVE Robert Redford!

http://www.susanmaywriter.com/2015/09...

Films Reviews 28th August

I can't get my blog to feed over to here ever since I swapped it to a personal domain name. So here's a link through to my website for film reviews for the week:

THE GIFT, RICKI & THE FLASH & SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY reviewed for your film going pleasure.

http://www.susanmaywriter.com/2015/08...

Anyone here seen any of these yet? I didn't love the Meryl Streep film Ricki & The Flash. I wanted to leave the preview, but I was hemmed in on both sides.