Gregory G. Allen's Blog, page 27

Flipping the Pillow

I feel I have learned so much in the past two years since my first book was published. It has been a crazy ride with ups and downs...but here I am flipping my virtual pillow again as I look for the cool side and launching another.

This one is different from the others as ASD Publishing has also learned much with what works, what doesn't in the publishing world. Some books do better than others as print. And as much as I LOVE books in print (and going to my local bookstore Well Read to do book signings) - Cool Side of the Pillow is releasing exclusively on Amazon to start out the launch. Depending on how it does, perhaps ASD Pub will bring it out in print down the road. This blog isn't about my feelings on Amazon or print versus eBooks (that I will save for another time) - it's about getting the word out on this book!
I started my career as an actor in theater many...MANY years ago and worked with several children's theater companies. I thought it would be a fitting place to plunge a 'fish out of water' into for the setting of this novel. Zachary Kleinmann is on a search without even knowing when he meets an older, eccentric actress: Ginger Charman. He is juggling all the areas of his life: fatherhood, a wife passionately involved in her own career, his lack of motivation, a marriage in a slump. But Ginger's youthful outlook and non-conformists ways are just the thing the 39 year old dad needs to pull himself out of his self-imposed state of complacency. He is looking for that 'cool side' of the pillow.
People that have read my works know that I love to write about life-altering decisions. I blog about it, I share it in novels - and in stories...I like to create unusual characters to fill up those pages.
While Zachary and Ginger become bonded despite their differences, I really wanted to explore the question to whether men and women can be 'just friends' as well as stay friends once secrets emerge. Many people have loved that element of mystery and intrigue from my previous Patchwork of Me and as Arthur Wooten says: it turns this novel into a cross between 'Grey Gardens' & 'Mr. Mom'.
While my books may seem to switch genres - I always come back to family: those we are born into and those we create. I think it's a common theme of what many people look for.
I hope you enjoy the new story. Parents can relate, lovers of theater will 'get' these characters - and I hope it finds an audience that can appreciate a book that uses Neil Diamond as a soundtrack. 

PS: I'm not sure why Amazon places books into non-fiction categories when an author tags books with things such as "Fatherhood" and "Theater" to get those readers...but just for the record: this book is fiction. :-)

And The Award Goes To...

It's that time of the year when creative types are deep into awards season. Hollywood is showering accolades onto the biggest and brightest movies. The music industry will be handing out trophies next month to those that are declared the best in their fields. Everyone will say they do it for the love, but secretly...they all enjoy winning those awards. People want to be appreciated for what they do; no matter what field they strive.

But for each major movie you've seen or song you've heard on the radio, there are countless others out there working at their craft simply because they love it. Musicians playing gigs in bars to a few people who hear their original songs. Filmmakers creating indie films because they have a story that must be told. Writers placing books on Smashwords and Amazon because they have a story dying to get out of them and they just hope to find an audience willing to take a chance on a 'no-name' author.

I am all about seeing the great blockbuster film. But I will also take in a small indie film and (at times) be completely blown away by what I've seen. I love that people need to be creative with or without the fame and fortune that comes to a select few. During this awards season...I tip my hat to the indies out there. 

Check out a few links of indie movies, musicians and authors below. (No, I don't even know all of these people...have just run across them online, social media, or heard of them somehow.)

Filmmaker Zeke Zelker's "In Search Of"

Musician Tess Henley

Author Terri Giuliano Long

Musician Chris Huff

Filmmaker Gregg Watt

Author Jack A. Urquhart

Musician Crystal Yates

Filmmaker Alison Bagnall

Musician Joshua Micah

16 to 44: A Day of Presidents

The day the 44th president of the United States made an inauguration speech that included equality for all including gays and lesbians, I thought a fitting time to finally see the movie of our 16th president. After all, I've always stated that his quote is my favorite. (“In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”) And that he was assassinated on my birthday (ok...I know, many years apart) has also made me feel a connection to this man. So myself and a handful of others sat in what seemed like our own private screening room and watched the Spielberg movie of LINCOLN. 

It is hard not to watch the movie and think of the parallels that we see happen today, especially where congress is concerned. And I'm sure many people would debate this is liberal Hollywood attempting to push an agenda. But what is so wonderful is watching where Republicans and Democrats stood on the line to help a Republic president push through an Amendment to end Slavery. An amendment for equality. Spielberg has done a wonderful job at telling a story where the outcome is already known: and yet still manages to build tension and make us feel as we watch each person place their vote. 
Lincoln aging in 5 years during the war.Daniel Day-Lewis has always been a favorite of mine and in this role, he gives a stoic, unassuming, brilliant performance. He truly brought history alive in his performance as Mr. President and made me think about this man who wanted nothing more than to see this accomplished. No matter the cost to what it could mean to those around him. I found him subtle and yet riveting. (The man has my vote for the Oscar!) (As a side note: he reminded me so much of my own grandfather in this film that I'm sure that connected deeply as well. From stature to his slow swagger of a walk - I felt as if my grandfather was alive again.)
Mary Todd & Sally FieldSally Field was worried about her age in playing Mary Todd, but I saw her and her costar as complete contemporaries. She showed a strong first lady who also dealt with so much loss in life...and portrays it beautifully. There is nothing this woman can't do and I love each performance she gives.
I felt a strong sense of country pride seeing the film on the Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as well. It spoke to me in ways I find hard to convey in words. I was overcome with a sense of gratitude to Mr. Lincoln when the film ended, but also a great sense of sadness in his assassination before it was fully adopted. I also left the theater and couldn't get to my car quickly enough to hide the tears the movie brought to my eyes. When this strong president was fighting for what he believed right: that all men should have equality even when he didn't know what it would mean for the African-Americans going forward (as the movie stated) - he never knew that almost 150 years later a black man would be leading the country. Say what you will about politics and which person you want to see leading the country: watching a historical movie where we now know what transpires afterwards is pretty incredible. 
Equality is a wonderful thing for us to continue to talk about. Thank you, Mr. Spielberg for bringing this story to us...especially during this particular time in our country and showing democracy in action.

When Is Loyalty Enough?

I've had it with the discount cards from every single store that we visit.

Carrying these cards in wallets, on key chains, in pockets becomes absolutely ridiculous. As if we don't carry enough already. It never fails, they ask me for the card and I've left it at home so I have to remember if I used my home phone or my cell phone for them to enter it.
And then with so many to carry, someone finally comes up with an app for our smart phones that will hold every single card in the device that many of us have glued to her hands throughout the day.
Awesome, right?
I was excited by this new application. I took the time to load them all into my phone and felt organized to go out into the world on my next shopping expedition.
And then you start to use your new app. You get to the stores and they can't scan it from your phone. (Which means they have to now key in the long number instead.) Or they just say "I won't do it." If you say "other cashiers will scan my phone" - you get some kind of retort "I'm not them."
If stores want to offer discounts to customers, how about this: anyone in your store IS a customer! Give them all the discount. Aren't CEOs happy to have people shopping in their stores? Enough with the loyalty discounts. You would think the fact that I'm shopping in your store is enough to warrant me whatever discount your offering the person in front of me.
Thus ends my rant. I better run to CVS for some medicine for this headache I now have just thinking about it. (Hopefully they can scan from my new app!)

Returning to My Youth

Greg at 14 years old.There is something so special about working in the theater. My earliest 'job' was doing theater for children the summer after my 8th grade year which continued all through high school. (I say job because eventually we would receive stipends for directing plays.) I started my writing career for the stage with that group. I got to play roles such as Charlie Brown, a Prince, Dracula, an old man in Rumpelstiltskin. And the friendships made and that have endured to this day from those summers of theater were really amazing.

This week, I've returned to that time again. No, I didn't get into a time machine and return to the 80s, but I have been asked to play one of the dads in the NJSDA Encore Series production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee". Such a fun show, but more importantly - I love watching these teens & tweens at work. And I'm transported back to that incredible time in my life. Sure, these kids today have cellphones to pull out and text and take photos during rehearsals to post to social media (something we never had), but that feeling of being involved in something that only a small group can understand is still the same. I see the bonds they create with each other. Coming back show after show to work together. Being so supportive of each other during 'notes' when different actors get praise from the director. I've been managing the arts center where I work for 6 years now and this group started performing there not too long after I took over the job.  Last night I went through online photos and videos of those previous shows only to remember how incredible it is to watch some of these kids grow up in front of my eyes - doing what they love.
The creative team behind the shows are people that love to be with kids: and you can tell.
Halloween 1983: Greg as DraculaI've always had a fondness for those people that throw their heart and soul into creating theater for children. The woman who ran the company when I started doing it believed we (as the kids) could do anything. From writing to directing and spending two months doing four back-to-back shows a summer. She instilled a 'can do' attitude in us early on. (Thanks, Gayle!)
Then when I moved to NYC, I worked with a theater company in NJ that not only sent me around the country in a Ninja Turtle costume - but performing fairy tales and plays at libraries, schools, and malls. The woman behind that company knew how to stay young at heart and still runs her company to this day.
I received my equity card doing Theater for Young Audiences. The NY woman behind that company not only LOVED the shows she would create, but also each cast that she sent out on the road to perform for schools across the country; counting each of them as family.
I'm sure this is why I've set my latest novel COOL SIDE OF THE PILLOW in the world of a children's theater company. I know the magic that place can be.  Plus all the women I've seen running these groups have shaped my life in one way or another and in my twisted world of fiction writing - I can thank them with a nod of the pen.
And now Corinna and Terri are doing the same with their group. And for this one small week, I got to experience it all over again.

I'm so grateful to Corinna and all of them for allowing me to experience this one more time in life. (What 43 year old man gets to travel back 30 years like this? Awesome!)



The cast of Spelling Bee 2013

Finding A Reader With Your Cover

That time in every author's life has come to me again. Picking a cover. 
I both love and hate this moment in the writing process. As an author, we spend months and months in the pages of our books and become so close to these characters. We long for the day when people will read our work and hope that they will fall in love with our 'made up lands' as much as we have. 
So attempting to chose a calling card that can convey the feeling of the book is so difficult. With my previous books, each has been a different experience in how I worked with the designer as well as the amount of choices they have time to come up with (as this takes many hours on their part). 
For Cool Side of the Pillow , ASD Publishing has done something different in running an online contest with a company that works with designers all over the world. What an experience it has been! You give them the synopsis and a design brief and they run with it. The amount of different designs was just amazing.  Sixteen designers gave over 80 entries (many of those were changes to their original concepts) and it was overwhelming and yet awesome! I saw things through their eyes I would never have seen. You can check out the top 8 here (and even weigh in on the poll) as the finalists are still making last minute changes we have requested to their designs.
Those that read my work know I love to write in many different genres. This new book has humor, a little intrigue, marital and parental issues - and all told through the first person voice of a stay at home dad. So the designers had their work cut out for them to attempt to convey all our protagonist is going through.
I can't wait until we share the winner with everyone! In the meantime, here is the synopsis on the book and I hope you all look forward to it's release later next month.

Zachery Kleinmann lives in the elite world of New Canaan, Connecticut and has left his accounting job four years earlier to be a modern stay-at-home father. But as his son is starting preschool, his wife is passionately involved in her own career, and Zach is knocking on forty years old, he begins to wonder how he will find his own serenity and define himself moving forward. Enter Ginger Charman, an eccentric, free living children's theater actress who has dedicated her life to bringing joy to children and keeping all those around her young at heart. As Zach is pulled into her world and discovers secrets about his new friend, he is not sure he'll ever be able to leave the rabbit hole once he has fallen through - or if he'll even want to venture outside of it again.

Looking Back as Moving Forward

I don't make resolutions. I find that the moment I make one, I just as quickly walk away from it. So instead I am thinking back on 2012 and what was accomplished.

As an author, I couldn't be happier with my year. Two books came out in this year and my children's book caused me to take on advocacy in a way I never expected.

I took on writing articles, reviews, blogs for Broadway World and Huffington Post: both of which keep my mind going as a writer.

I've met some wonderful people because of social media and have found wonderful support in them as I traverse the world of an indie writer attempting to market books.

I returned to the stage for the first time in four years and loved challenging myself in that way.

I continued my love of travel this year with Sedona,  Punta Cana, Cape Cod, Maine: all of which were full of wonderful moments with those that I love.

Yes - this blog is often about my weight and while the scales traveled the wrong way this year, I refuse to make some resolution about it in 2013. Instead, I'll just continue to make that a never ending quest.

And for 2013?? Continuing on this artistic journey I've been on. Doing some more travel. Living my life and loving it.

Speaking of: My 2013 novel  Cool Side of the Pillow is now listed on Goodreads "Anticipated Reads for 2013" list. It's around #240 on page 3 and needs some more votes. It's easy if you have a Goodreads account. Just click on the VOTE FOR THIS BOOK link under the title.

Thanks so much and happy new year to you all!

Three Hours of Misery That is Well Worth It

Twenty five years ago I moved to NYC and Les Miserables was the big musical that year. I've seen many live performances and numerous Jean Valjeans (country singer Gary Morris was actually my favorite). Like most theater geeks, I've been looking forward to this sung-through musical finally coming to the big screen.

As a theater freak, I've also read all the reviews, followed the postings of theater lovers weighing in on forums, and watched every clip of the show before seeing it in the theater. (I often think how musicals like The Sound of Music would have faired had the internet been around where every theater fan could chime in on their thoughts.) Unfortunately I was sick Christmas Day when I had tickets to see it, but I finally felt well enough to leave the house and see it this morning.

Let me first say - I love movie musicals. I grew up on them. I have no problem when a character breaks out into song. Some movies have transferred very well while others have had some major problems on the big screen.  From Moulin Rouge to Chicago and even parts of Sweeney Todd - I've enjoyed what Hollywood has given us. 

Director Tom Hooper definitely has a vision for his Les Miz and for the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed the vision that he supplied. He took us off the turntable that was the stage show and gave us locations that evoked the period and made sense. Yes - he has a love for closeups...but in some cases, it made the moment all the more moving. (Other times I was wishing he would just pull back and let us see something else.) 

There has been so much said about the live singing in this show and it really did change the movie for me. The fact we knew they were in the moment performing these numbers felt completely different from that of a dubbed vocal. I had no issue with the orchestrations that others have complained about. I found it very beautiful and moving.

There are also some pretty inspired casting choices. Anne Hathaway was so moving and earthy as Fantine. I absolutely loved her. She deserves all the praise being given to her now. Eddy Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Amanda Seyfried and Aaron Tveit each bring wonderful life to the younger characters in this epic tale (even though they don't appear until midway through the film). There were things about each of their performances that I could pull out and rave about and several of them brought me to tears in moments of their performances. Even Russell Crowe who is getting a bad rap on most theater forums did not bother me as Javert. (Goes to show watching clips does not help.) I thought I was not going to like his performance, but I actually saw depth there to this man who spends way too many years chasing down a convict. As far as Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen - I don't think I need to see them in another musical (however...to be fair, I've never been fans of those characters in the musical).

And then there is Hugh Jackman.

The man who took a mediocre musical like The Boy From Oz and turned it into a smash because of his incredible performance. The Wolverine that shows he can do much more on screen than fight. The performance he gives in the prologue of this musical as a scrawny prisoner is so amazing. His song "What Have I Done?" (before the musical actually takes off) had me in tears just from his performance. I have such respect for him as a performer and that he can show that an actor can do so many things. But something strange (for me) happened in this movie. Once he was out of a jail and starting a new life - he began to fade into the background. I tried to think that perhaps it was because the director had him alone so much (in a carriage, walking in the woods, etc) - but that wasn't it. Too many of the other characters seemed to have higher stakes at that point that I never noticed the umpteen times I've seen this show on stage. It's not that his performance was bad...it simply lost some of the power that he had at the start. And then there is his biggest song "Bring Him Home". The one song many people know even if they don't know the show. I've seen Jackman on talk shows saying how hard it was to do that song. They lowered the key. They put it back. I honestly wish they would have gone back in the studio and dubbed this one song. I think it would have helped the entire piece if they could have just gotten that song correct. Again: just a personal opinion. (It didn't stop me from shedding a tear for him by movie's end.) 

I'm glad to see musicals continuing to be made into movies and I hope it continues. I also love when a director gives a nod to those that originated roles as well. To see the original Jean Valjean as the Bishop and Eponine as a "Lovely Lady" was also really great.

Carve out three hours and go see this film. And then come back here and leave me your thoughts too. I'd love to hear what you think!  

 

The Next Big Thing: Discover New Authors & Books!

Blog hops are a great way for people to find new authors. Perhaps read a genre they haven't thought of before. The Next Big Thing is an around-the-world blog hop where authors of all genres tell readers about their next/recent book release in the course of answering 10 questions.  Each author has been tagged by another author to write a blog, and the current author then tags new authors who blog the following week.I'm excited to be a part of this one and have Jan Moran to thank. Jan I have reviewed each other's last books and I just loved her Scent of Triumph. This woman has such a knack with historical novels...I highly recommend it! 
But now I'm to discuss my upcoming book with a few questions, so here we go! 1) What is the working title of your next book? Cool Side of The Pillow2) Where did the idea come from for the book? I started working on this book several years ago when this idea started to percolate in my brain. I love to examine people's lives and place characters in moments where major decisions must be made. When working on this one of a dad attempting to find himself, the more layers would be added as secrets and mystery would bubble up. My background in children's theater also plays a huge part in this book.    
3) What genre does your book fall under? This is contemporary fiction.
4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition? I'd be lying to say I haven't seen certain people in my head when I write, but what if this book DOES get made into a movie one day? I don't want to piss off the actor chosen. So I plead the 5th.
5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  As Zachery Kleinmann must redefine his life, he meets an eccentric actress who runs a children's theater company and discovers secrets that makes him reevaluate everything as he is pulled down the rabbit hole of her world.
6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? The indie publisher ASD Publishing puts out all of my books.
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript? I started working on this book several years ago. It took a while to get through the first draft. But after numerous edits and beta readers, it's time to let this one out of the bag.
8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Hmmm....I hate the whole comparison question. The book is about a family man. Perhaps Little Children by Perotta or About A Boy by Hornby. An author friend who just finished reading it over the holidays gave me a movie pitch by saying it is a little Grey Gardens mixed with Kramer vs Kramer with a dash of Mickey & Judy singing and dancing in a barn. 
9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?I'm not a parent, but I've always thought about what it would be like to have that responsibility. And as I've gotten older, my mind always goes to how we define ourselves: parent, our jobs, our talents: what is it? I spent many years working in children's theater and I was drawn to the quirkiness of the documentary Grey Gardens. Somehow the two combined as I started creating the character of Ginger. Plopping my 'dad' down into that world seemed like an intriguing place to create this story. 
10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?The book deals with relationships. Long marriages and how they change as we grow. Creating new friendships at different points in our lives. How a man and a woman CAN be friends...or can they? And how does someone who seems to have everything in life still find fulfillment when they are looking at their 40th birthday and feeling they don't have enough to show for it.


I'm tagging the following authors so be sure and check them out next week! All of them are wonderful and should be followed on their blogs and on twitter!
Lori Stephens A novelist, a university lecturer, and a DIY addict.
Alina Oswald An author, photographer and reviewer.
Carey Parrish Author and blogger.
Benjamin Wretlind The author that opened my eyes to a new world.

Becoming an Advocate

I never thought I’d be one to enjoy going places and talking about my books, but I've found this past year to really like it. Last month I was at a school in Texas where I spoke to each grade (K-5) about Chicken Boy. Then just yesterday I was part of a writer’s panel at the prestigious Trinity School in Manhattan with a group that included screenwriters, playwrights, ghostwriters, authors, sports writers…it was really a great day. We each had two workshop sessions with groups of middle school students and then we all came together for a Q&A in the auditorium.
I've been speaking about writing for several years now: sometimes as a guest speaker to the creative writing class at the college where I work and other times at book signings and talk backs.
 As I stop and look back on the past year, I think what baffles and excites me the most is I never knew I’d become such an autism awareness advocate. I don’t know if one sets out with the thought that’s what they intend to do or if it just happens organically. When I speak of my children’s book, I can’t help but talk of my godson and many of the questions turn to autism (and not just about writing). I always state I’m not an expert in the field, but I do love discussing and hearing other people’s stories of those they know. When a group of students talk openly about it – it reduces the stigma that is associated with it…even if just a little. And the stigma these children have placed on them…well, it really breaks my heart. (Read my Huffington Post blog from this week on my feelings about that.)
Perhaps there was a bigger plan for my 2012 that I never even considered when people were voting on my children’s book online a year ago. Sure, I love being a writer and I suppose I enjoy public speaking more than I thought I would. But maybe I was meant to be one small voice in this vast world that is autism awareness. I wish I could do more, but if I can take these moments as a writer to be able to make just one person in the room aware of interacting with a child with autism…I feel I’m doing some good.
I suppose I became an advocate without even realizing I was doing it: looks like my godson was the one teaching me all along.