Mark Hosack's Blog, page 2
October 28, 2014
Welcome To Mark Hosack’s Webpage
Hi – yes, we are under construction here – out with the old, in with the new! In the meantime, if you want to get in touch with me, you can drop me an email at: mhosack@gmail.com. Unless, of course, you’re a spambot.
Mark Hosack is a novelist and filmmaker. Please check out his first book, Identity, and if you’re interested, you can also watch the trailers to his films Give ‘em Hell, Malone and Pale Blue Moon. He also wrote a bunch of words on the recent Sony Crackle series Sequestered.
June 15, 2014
IDENTITY
The corporate greed of Wall Street meets the Hitchcockian suspense of North by Northwest in this thrilling debut by screenwriter Mark Hosack.
One day Paul Majors is a respectable businessman looking into some accounting irregularities in his office’s parent company. The next, he’s wading through a murky world of dark finance, uncovering a vast web of illegal activities in the CEO’s executive circle, being hunted by a ruthless corporate assassin and the FBI, and getting sucked into a second company’s illicit dealings.
As he travels across the United States to unravel the twin mysteries he’s caught in, it’s not clear who Paul can trust—or even who is who. The woman who seduced him at the hotel bar might be there to help, or take him out. The government agents change with a chameleon’s ease. Heck, even Paul’s running around under an assumed name!
In this corporate shell game of names and motivations, Paul’s got 1,500 loyal employees—and his own life—on the line. But it’s becoming dangerously clear that Paul himself is not Too Big to Fail…or be killed.
You can buy Identity for just $4.99 on AMAZON , ITUNES , or BARNES AND NOBLE.
Read the first chapter of IDENTITY in the embed below:
January 26, 2014
IDENTITY is on sale for just 99 cents!
August 29, 2012
August 20, 2012
Hear Ye, Hear Ye! The IDENTITY Sale And E-Reader Giveaway Ends Tonight At Midnight!
Well, it’s hard to believe that the book has already been out for two weeks. I still have nightmares that the publishing date is about to hit and I’m only on Chapter Four.
The $1.99 sale ends tonight at midnight and so does the Free Kindle or Nook Giveaway (it really is a FREE e-reader — it costs nothing to sign up). If you haven’t yet, please pick up the book and tell any friends who love a good read! Get it while it’s still super cheap!!!
ENTER OUR KINDLE / NOOK GIVEAWAY HERE.
And if you’ve already bought it, please, please, please leave us a review on whatever site you bought it from, or on Goodreads.com. Reviews are a barometer for popularity, and the more popular the book, the more people will want to read it.
Thank you so much everyone. IDENTITY has been selling really well, and it’s all thanks to you.
Mark
August 14, 2012
IDENTITY Is In Paperback NOW! … (well, sort of) …
Calling all luddites. Numerous readers have asked where they can get a paper version of IDENTITY. Until I can point you straight to the bookstore (hopefully soon!), Simon & Schuster kindly printed up 5 paperback copies for a Goodreads.com Giveaway.
That’s right.
You can get a paperback version of IDENTITY right here at Goodreads.
Heck, I’ll even autograph ‘em!
It’s very easy to enter–you just fill out your address and hit “enter.” If you aren’t a member of Goodreads yet, you should join. It’s a great site for books.
In the meantime, don’t forget — IDENTITY the ebook is on sale for just $1.99 until August 21st. Then it goes up to $4.99. So please pick it up, please tell your friends, and please write a quick review on whatever site you bought it from — or on www.goodreads.com.
I’ve had a great time reading everyone’s reviews on Amazon, as well as your thoughts on Facebook. Thanks so much for reading! I’m glad that most of you are enjoying it–it’s always terrific to hear that your book doesn’t absolutely stink.
Buy IDENTITY for just $1.99. Sale ends August 21st, 2012.
Just click the appropriate link below:
iBook Store with iTunes
Or go to Simon and Schuster’s website for additional purchasing options.
The corporate greed of Wall Street meets the Hitchcockian suspense of North by Northwest in this thrilling debut by screenwriter Mark Hosack.
One day Paul Majors is a respectable businessman looking into some accounting irregularities in his office’s parent company. The next, he’s wading through a murky world of dark finance, uncovering a vast web of illegal activities in the CEO’s executive circle, being hunted by a ruthless corporate assassin and the FBI, and getting sucked into a second company’s illicit dealings.
As he travels across the United States to unravel the twin mysteries he’s caught in, it’s not clear who Paul can trust—or even who is who. The woman who seduced him at the hotel bar might be there to help, or take him out. The government agents change with a chameleon’s ease. Heck, even Paul’s running around under an assumed name!
In this corporate shell game of names and motivations, Paul’s got 1,500 loyal employees—and his own life—on the line. But it’s becoming dangerously clear that Paul himself is not Too Big to Fail…or be killed.
“Not since Billy wilder’s 3 Graves for Cairo or North By Northwest has there been such a deft and clever set up of a decent and ordinary guy thrust inrto a situation where no one is who they say they are and the stakes keep getting bigger and bigger. The plot rockets along with believable characters who never become just tools of the plot, but remain true to themselves and all the more affecting as a result. You root for the main character to be able to survive without losing his sense of decency. Initially a funny concept – how will a born again Christian who keeps a swear jar on his desk survive in world of ruthless greedy killers – it turns the plot again and again down more dangerous roads. And given the character’s history, he becomes more himself as he goes along. Mark Hosack’s humor and skill at believable action shines on every page. Read it now!” Sharon Doyle, writer- producer the Nero Wolfe Mysteries on A&E, writer – Cagney and Lacey, 21 Jump Street.
You can read the first chapter of IDENTITY below:
August 6, 2012
Today Is Pub Day — The Top Five Reasons To Read IDENTITY!
Well, today is the big day. IDENTITY is officially on sale! This marks the end of what’s been a seven year journey to publication for me. I’m hoping it’s the first book of many.
I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who ordered the book and helped to spread the word. All of you are great. It takes strong word-of-mouth, especially for a debut author, to get any momentum going, but I feel as if we’re going to make a big splash with this one. If you find the time, please review / rate the book — you can do so at amazon.com / barnesandnoble.com / iTunes or goodreads.com, whatever is easiest. Ratings and reviews are a huge help, so thank you ahead of time.
Now, there’s a lot of good stuff going on this publication day:
1) Of course, you can Buy Identity and start reading immediately. The book is just $1.99 until August 21st, then it goes back up to full price, so be sure to grab it now.
2) I’m also the Guest Blogger over at Books R Us. I pontificate a bit about the time I was gagged and bound to a merry-go-round. Be sure to check it out!
3) If you haven’t entered our Free E-Reader Contest, please do. It’s open to everyone, only takes a minute, and did I mention that it’s free? (though you have to help me hock the book).
4) Finally, if you’re still on the fence, even after Praise Like This, I’ll leave you with my top five reasons to read IDENTITY. Thanks again everyone. I hope that you enjoy the book. Let me know what you think!
TOP FIVE REASONS TO READ IDENTITY
5) It’s not an e-book … it’s an e-novel.
4) What else are you gonna do with that $1.99? Buy chicken nuggets?
3) If you’re a member of the 99%, you can tell your new cell mates that you’re reading this awesome thriller about an average day joe going toe-to-toe with an investment bank.
2) If you’re a member of the 1%, you can tell your staff that you’re reading this hilarious comedy about an average day joe going toe-to-toe with an investment bank.
And finally, the number one reason to read IDENTITY is because…
1) This guy reads IDENTITY.
(that’s a joke — please don’t sue me Old Spice)
Order IDENTITY for a sale price of only $1.99.
Just click the appropriate link below:
iBook Store with iTunes
Or go to Simon and Schuster’s website for additional purchasing options.
The corporate greed of Wall Street meets the Hitchcockian suspense of North by Northwest in this thrilling debut by screenwriter Mark Hosack.
One day Paul Majors is a respectable businessman looking into some accounting irregularities in his office’s parent company. The next, he’s wading through a murky world of dark finance, uncovering a vast web of illegal activities in the CEO’s executive circle, being hunted by a ruthless corporate assassin and the FBI, and getting sucked into a second company’s illicit dealings.
As he travels across the United States to unravel the twin mysteries he’s caught in, it’s not clear who Paul can trust—or even who is who. The woman who seduced him at the hotel bar might be there to help, or take him out. The government agents change with a chameleon’s ease. Heck, even Paul’s running around under an assumed name!
In this corporate shell game of names and motivations, Paul’s got 1,500 loyal employees—and his own life—on the line. But it’s becoming dangerously clear that Paul himself is not Too Big to Fail…or be killed.
“Take two dozen, high-end powerbooks maxed out with dangerously shady financial data, mash them up into a sphere, paper mache it with thousand dollar bills, push that ball off the top of a steep mountain, watch it careen wildly until it smashes, exploding in a furious fire of suspense and relentless action, and you’ve got Mark Hosack’s “Identity.” Shari Shattuck, author ofLoaded and Speak of the Devil.
You can read the first chapter of IDENTITY below:
August 4, 2012
We’re Giving Away A Free E-Reader — Enter To Win!
IDENTITY is an e-book, and while it’s easy to download the book and read it on your computer, it’s a lot more fun to read it on an e-reader. So we’re giving one away. Even if you already have one, come enter to win–chances are you know someone who needs one, right?
It’s really easy to enter and will only take a minute of your time.
Just click HERE to enter, or click on the heading at the top of the page!
Kindle Touch
Nook Simple Touch
August 2, 2012
WRITING RESOURCES – A FEW LINKS TO GET YOU GOING
I’m often asked for writing advice, so I thought I’d share a few links I’ve used over the years. For anyone ready to dive in and start writing either books or screenplays, hopefully the below will give you a good place to start.
RESOURCES ON THE WRITING PROCESS
There are plenty of books on how to write, but my favorite is Stephen King’s “On Writing.” No, it’s not a horror book. It’s a book on his writing process, and I found it very insightful and inspirational.
For screenplays, William Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade really did it for me.
For grammar, you can’t go wrong with Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style.
ORGANIZATIONS
If you write thriller’s / mysteries, join your local chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Also Sisters In Crime.
If you’re into writing YA and Children’s book, SCBWI is a terrific organization to join.
The main reason to join an organization is to meet other writers. Since writing is a solitary business, talking to others is a must–if only to verify that there are, indeed, other people as crazy as you.
NanoWriMo is an on-line and meet up organization that urges you to write a book in a month. I think Water for Elephants started off in this program. The idea is to challenge yourself to write 50,000 words in a month. I highly recommend this program to those who have always wanted to write a book but find it too overwhelming. The program isn’t about writing a perfect manuscript–it’s about getting a rough, rough draft done. Then you take your time rewriting. After all, writing is rewriting.
FINDING AN AGENT
Finding an agent isn’t easy–and there are rules. You have to know how to do it. In my opinion, there is no better web resource on how to write a Query Letter, how to apply, etc, than Miss Snark’s blog. It was written by an agent in the publishing industry, though her identity is still a secret. Granted, this blog has ended and is now five years old, but I’ve referenced it recently and it still seems to apply.
Predators & Editors is a must. They keep track of who is on the level, and who has a reputation of taking advantage of writers.
Also, if you want an agent, some of them have blogs. Follow them and make sure you understand what they are looking for and how to submit to them. I still follow Janet Reid’s blog regularly.
These days, just about every agency has a website. Be sure to go to the site and see what their submission rules are.
Everyone Who’s Anyone is also a good resource (and humorous) but it doesn’t include much in the way of submission information. Just email addresses.
Remember, to get an agent you should attend writing conferences, write query letters, and be prepared to wait for months for an answer.
FINDING AN EDITOR
In my experience, your best chance of connecting with an editor is through an agent or at a writing conference. I found my agent through my writing group, and my agent then connected me to my editor. However, there are lots of ways to connect with an editor. My colleague, Michael Underwood, who shares my editor, connected with him through Book Country. Michael has a great and very “in the age of the Internet” story for his road to publication. You should read it and take notes.
SELF PUBLISHING (indie publishers)
Don’t want to go the traditional route? You no longer have to. You can upload your own work at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble (for the Nook).
For iBooks and “indie” e-booksellers, you can go through Smashwords, just be aware that if you use Smashwords, they also take a commission on your sales. I would recommend uploading to Amazon and B&N on your own to avoid that.
I think self publishing is a terrific thing. Before you do it, I’d recommend creating a really solid book cover and paying an editor to work on your manuscript. Be sure your book is ready!
WRITING CONFERENCES
I attended the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, the San Francisco Writers Conference and the SDSU Writers’ Conference. All three were worthwhile. I would recommend them for different reasons. Santa Barbara was the longest, allows you to work in the same class, and offers a great environment to help improve your craft. They also get terrific speakers–we had Ray Bradbury, Christopher Moore, and Fannie Flag. San Francisco is a shorter conference and offers a balance between networking and craft, while San Diego was mostly about meeting Agents and Editors.
I haven’t attended, but I hear that the Squaw Valley Conference is terrific.
There’s also, of course, the grand daddy of publishing conventions, Book Expo America.
You can find a list of the conferences in your state here.
REGISTERING YOUR SCREENPLAY
For screenplays, I register all of my scripts at the WGAw Registry.
WRITERS BLOGS
There are lots of authors who have a lot of great things to say about writing and publishing. Here are a few that I follow:
Nathan Bransford. (writing and publishing)
John August. (screenplays)
Christopher Gronund. (writing process)
Lisa Eckstein (writing process)
Lee Goldberg (writing and publishing)
GOOD READS
Finally, Good Reads is a terrific source for book review, discovering new material and interacting with other readers. It’s the imdb of the book world.
OK, that’s all I’ve got. I’m sure everyone has their own resources — feel free to add to this list in the comments below.
IDENTITY, Mark’s first novel, will be released August 7th. You can pre-order it now for a special sale price of $1.99 at: amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and iTunes.com.
IDENTITY is an adult book, meaning it’s not suitable for children. If you can handle Michael Crichton and John Grisham, you can handle IDENTITY. See for yourself by reading the first chapter in the embed below:
August 1, 2012
COUNTDOWN TO BOOKAGEDDON – 7 DAYS
So IDENTITY, my first book, will be published a week from today. In honor of that, I’m going to try to do something I’ve never done before on my blog:
Write one.
Up until now, it’s all been videos and little informational tidbits.
We’ll see how it goes. Let’s kick it off with a short self-interview, shall we?
Hello, Mark. My name is Mark. Before we get started, I have to admit, I stole this idea from an EW article I read ages ago. In it, Mel Gibson interviews himself. Speaking of Mel Gibson, how do you feel about that hairy rage-monster?
MH: I thought we were going to talk about my book, IDENTITY, on sale now at –
Stop. Let’s be clear: You’re not here to hock your book–you’re here to answer my questions. OK? Now. How do you feel about Mel Gibson?
MH: Mel Gibson … First, let me say this: The $1.99 sale is ONLY for the first two weeks, then–
Answer. The. Question.
MH: Right. Okay, I condemn any sort of violence against women and I’m not an anti-semite, but I love Lethal Weapon. Braveheart is one of my favorite films. I’ll leave it at that.
So you like Mel Gibson?
MH: No, I didn’t say that. I said I really like a few of his movies … ok, probably all of his movies.
So you’d pay to go see a Mel Gibson movie?
MH: No, I didn’t say either.
But you HAVE paid to see a Mel Gibson movie.
MH: I’m sorry, my lawyer is telling me that this is too controversial a subject–
Why are you doing this interview with a lawyer?
MH: Because I’m at home and I’m married to one.
Huh. Really? I’m married to a lawyer too.
MH: That’s because you’re me.
We’re off the subject here. We’ve lost sight of Mel Gibson.
MH: Mel Gibson is not the issue. We’re supposed to be talking about my book, which you can pre-order at–
You have a book?
MH: Yes. I wrote one … we wrote one. It’s called IDENTITY. It’s a business-thriller about a really good guy who everyone confuses for a corrupt money manager. It comes out in a week, remember?
I have no recollection of that. I write screenplays.
MH: You’ve also been writing books for the past seven years.
Seven years? Really? Wow, if this is my first published book, I must suck. How many books have I written?
MH: Four … this is your fourth.
What did I do with the other three?
MH: They’re being edited. Sometimes you have to write a few before you figure out how to write a book … or, maybe more importantly, how to write what sells.
Great! So I figured it out — Davinci Code, baby! Does this mean I’m rich?
MH: Far from it. In fact, you’re broke, unemployed, desperately working on a spec script and a follow up book to IDENTITY. Your kids are hungry and your mortgage needs to be paid.
But I’m married to a lawyer!
MH: Yes, you are.
And she’s a rich corporate lawyer, right?
MH: Actually, she’s a political asylum lawyer.
Political asylum? Do those sorts of clients have a lot of money?
MH: No.
So I’m poor?
MH: Yeah, but you have a book coming out in a week! It’s a big freakin’ deal! And it’s a good book! Something you can be proud of!
Proud don’t pay the bills.
MH: Listen. It’s a business thriller about a mild-mannered businessman who gets confused for a nasty money manager, and–
Just get to it. Are we talking steamy hot sex?
Some.
Violence?
Enough.
Corporate skullduggery?
In SPADES. Do you know how long you’ve been working for this? Let’s tell the world that you can pre-order it now at–
Yes I KNOW how long — you just told me. Seven years and I publish one freakin’ book. That’s depressing. But at least I can console myself at Barnes & Noble when I see my book on the shelf.
MH: Actually…
What?
MH: It’s an eBook first release.
eBook first. The hell does that mean?
MH: It’s nice talk for: It might come out in print, but the eBook has to do really well first. It’s still a big deal though, it’s being published by Simon & Schuster. They’re a huge publisher and have an awesome team.
But I can’t console myself at Barnes & Noble?
MH: You can, but you’re going to have to do it on one of their Nook demos. Cause there’s no printed book. Listen, print’s going the way of the dinosaurs. Book business is a-boomin’ online.
So you worked on getting published for seven years and it’s only online?
MH: Yep.
You’re crazy.
MH: No, Mel Gibson is crazy. A crazy rage beast.
But his movies are awesome.
MH: I didn’t say that.
But I did and I’m you.
MH: We live in a complicated world … Speaking of complicated, you can pre-order IDENTITY, my business-thriller–
Do you even know anything about business?
MH: It doesn’t matter if I do or don’t. It’s fiction. I’m allowed to make it up. AND you can pre-order IDENTITY now for just $1.99 (special 2 week sale!) at: amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and iTunes.com. It’ll be released August 7th. Oh, and if you already pre-ordered it at 4.99, you’ll still only pay 1.99. That’s cheaper than a cappuccino, and I promise this book will stay hot much longer. If you don’t have an eReader, Amazon has a reader you can download to your computer so that you can read it on your computer screen.
Great. You got it all in. I hope you’re happy.
I am indeed. Wanna watch Braveheart?
Absolutely.
IDENTITY, Mark’s first novel, will be released August 7th. It’s an adult book, meaning it’s not suitable for children. If you can handle Michael Crichton and John Grisham, you can handle IDENTITY. You can also read the first chapter at the embed below:
