2013: That's a Wrap
2013 was my seventh year as a full time writer, which means it was my sixth year teetering on the edge of poverty. My family has adapted, because when the inevitable "Oh my God, how are we going to eat?" and "Oh my God, how did I forget about this bill?" moments arrived, we panicked less than usual, Kaelin finished first grade and started second grade. In between, she played King Louie in a kids' production of The Jungle Book. She continues to amaze me and Tamar with her great attitude, even if she is prone to dramatic outbursts (I have no idea where she gets that). Tamar went off unemployment to get a seven month temp job, went back on unemployment, and got a full time job which actually pays pretty well by Buffalo standards; hopefully, sometime in the not so distant future, we'll be sufficiently out of the hole where we can actually benefit from her hard work and mine.
At the beginning of the year, I wrote Storm Demon. the fifth book in my occult detective series The Jake Helman Files. It is the penultimate book in the series, or at least in the first cycle of the series, and it was published in October. Jake is my signature character, and I need that boy to keep kicking no matter what body parts he loses. I also completed edits on The Julian Year, the first TREEbook (Timed Reading Experience E-book), and currently have a loaner IPad so I can see how the branching technology works. It appears this will receive a soft release in February, and that soft release will be part of a much longer promotional period than usual. Fingers crossed, this could be pretty big. Initial reactions to my actual story - sort of a blend between an 80s James Herbert novel and Qautermass and the Pit, pummeled by nonstop action - have been excellent.
Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast, which I produced, was released on DVD and made it into Family Video, Redbox Canada and Walmart Canada, and was just licensed to itunes in three different countries. It's on track to actually turn a profit, no doubt due to writer-director-star Sam Qualiana's catchy title and great concept.
I wrote, directed and produced another micro-budget movie, a horror comedy called Dry Bones, with Michael O'Hear as co-producer, co-director and star. We shot most of the film in my house, so it became a real family experience, with Kaelin acting and occasionally slating and Tamar helping out in all manner of ways. The film turned out well and will be released on DVD in 2014. I had so much fun making it that I produced The Legend of Six FIngers for Sam Qualiana imediately after we wrapped Dry Bones. That was fun too, and it will also be released on DVD in 2014.
Battledogs was released on DVD and is available for streaming on Netflix. I was only the 1st AD on that, but I'm proud of the work that me and the other locals did on it. And through Battledogs I became friends with Craig Sheffer, who actually visited the set of Dry Bones and optioned my zombie novella Carnage Road as a possible TV series or film. We collaborated on a TV pilot script and a series bible, which he and his manager are presenting to companies right now. I'm told that if the series doesn't go, he'll produce and direct a feature version. Optimism rears its deceptive head.
My events partner Chris Scioli and I came up with Buffalo Film Expo, a one day event designed to help the fledgling film community in Buffalo, and Teddy Hanes helped us put it together. I spent the whole day on my feet, moderating some fantastic panel discussions with local film professionals. Attendance was okay, but would have been better if we'd thrown a beer blast instead. We're doing it again next year...and we're expanding it.
This was the first year of Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, a descendant of Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival, which Scioli and I had to put down to get out of an unproductive partnership with a third party. We ran all day for seven days, showed some great films, and 30 filmmakers attended from out of town. It was essentially the film festival I'd dreamed of for four years, and submissions are already coming in for 2014. On the down side, the festival ate up every free minute I had for two months, and put me behind on several writing projects.
I was invited to submit work to two anthologies this year, one fiction and the other a collection of nonfiction essays. I don't think I embarrassed myself with either piece, both of which will be published in 2014.
I am currently writing The Frenzy Wolves, which I'm treating as the last book in my werewolf series. As with the Jake Helman Files, the door will be left open for continuation, but I honestly feel that with this novel I've said all I can about howlers. This is the project that suffered delays due to Buffalo Dreams, and it's rolling along nicely. It had better - it will be published in October! For the sixth year running, Medallion Press has been great to me.
After I finish writing The Frenzy Wolves, I'm on to Jake Helman Six, and then I'm directing what I expect will be my final micro-budget film, Killer Rack, written by Paul McGinnis. It's a crazy comedy and I'm looking forward to the experience. I've "retired" from making micro-budget movies a couple of times in the past, but inspiration can be a real bitch. I'm heading into 2014 with a great deal of tempered optimism, both for Carnage Road and something else I'm working on which has a lot of commercial potential, and I'm grateful to have struck up the various partnerships I have on all of the projects and events in the pipeline.
At the beginning of the year, I wrote Storm Demon. the fifth book in my occult detective series The Jake Helman Files. It is the penultimate book in the series, or at least in the first cycle of the series, and it was published in October. Jake is my signature character, and I need that boy to keep kicking no matter what body parts he loses. I also completed edits on The Julian Year, the first TREEbook (Timed Reading Experience E-book), and currently have a loaner IPad so I can see how the branching technology works. It appears this will receive a soft release in February, and that soft release will be part of a much longer promotional period than usual. Fingers crossed, this could be pretty big. Initial reactions to my actual story - sort of a blend between an 80s James Herbert novel and Qautermass and the Pit, pummeled by nonstop action - have been excellent.
Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast, which I produced, was released on DVD and made it into Family Video, Redbox Canada and Walmart Canada, and was just licensed to itunes in three different countries. It's on track to actually turn a profit, no doubt due to writer-director-star Sam Qualiana's catchy title and great concept.
I wrote, directed and produced another micro-budget movie, a horror comedy called Dry Bones, with Michael O'Hear as co-producer, co-director and star. We shot most of the film in my house, so it became a real family experience, with Kaelin acting and occasionally slating and Tamar helping out in all manner of ways. The film turned out well and will be released on DVD in 2014. I had so much fun making it that I produced The Legend of Six FIngers for Sam Qualiana imediately after we wrapped Dry Bones. That was fun too, and it will also be released on DVD in 2014.
Battledogs was released on DVD and is available for streaming on Netflix. I was only the 1st AD on that, but I'm proud of the work that me and the other locals did on it. And through Battledogs I became friends with Craig Sheffer, who actually visited the set of Dry Bones and optioned my zombie novella Carnage Road as a possible TV series or film. We collaborated on a TV pilot script and a series bible, which he and his manager are presenting to companies right now. I'm told that if the series doesn't go, he'll produce and direct a feature version. Optimism rears its deceptive head.
My events partner Chris Scioli and I came up with Buffalo Film Expo, a one day event designed to help the fledgling film community in Buffalo, and Teddy Hanes helped us put it together. I spent the whole day on my feet, moderating some fantastic panel discussions with local film professionals. Attendance was okay, but would have been better if we'd thrown a beer blast instead. We're doing it again next year...and we're expanding it.
This was the first year of Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, a descendant of Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival, which Scioli and I had to put down to get out of an unproductive partnership with a third party. We ran all day for seven days, showed some great films, and 30 filmmakers attended from out of town. It was essentially the film festival I'd dreamed of for four years, and submissions are already coming in for 2014. On the down side, the festival ate up every free minute I had for two months, and put me behind on several writing projects.
I was invited to submit work to two anthologies this year, one fiction and the other a collection of nonfiction essays. I don't think I embarrassed myself with either piece, both of which will be published in 2014.
I am currently writing The Frenzy Wolves, which I'm treating as the last book in my werewolf series. As with the Jake Helman Files, the door will be left open for continuation, but I honestly feel that with this novel I've said all I can about howlers. This is the project that suffered delays due to Buffalo Dreams, and it's rolling along nicely. It had better - it will be published in October! For the sixth year running, Medallion Press has been great to me.
After I finish writing The Frenzy Wolves, I'm on to Jake Helman Six, and then I'm directing what I expect will be my final micro-budget film, Killer Rack, written by Paul McGinnis. It's a crazy comedy and I'm looking forward to the experience. I've "retired" from making micro-budget movies a couple of times in the past, but inspiration can be a real bitch. I'm heading into 2014 with a great deal of tempered optimism, both for Carnage Road and something else I'm working on which has a lot of commercial potential, and I'm grateful to have struck up the various partnerships I have on all of the projects and events in the pipeline.
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