Friday, December 31, 2010

Obligatory end of the year navel gazing

I have mixed feelings about the holidays. Yes, I like to see family and eat turkey. Yes, a little down time is always good. Yes, hooray for Santa and Baby New Year.

But the simple fact is that Hollywood and the publishing industry shuts down hard, and the result is that old Uncle Victor has to sit in the dark until everyone comes up for air again. I am on pins and needles waiting to hear how funding will go on film versions of two of my novels. I have three screenplays going through the same process. I have a novel project which might (or might not) click into place. I am on pins. I am on needles. And all I can do is wait.

This isn't anybody's fault. Hey, it's the holidays. I don't grudge people taking time off, seeing family, the usual. What it boils down to is this: I'm EXCITED about these projects, and that makes all the difference. When I was in school I dreaded the end of the holidays. Now I'm excited to get back to all of these things that have been on my brain every waking moment.

Feel free to check out a sampling of these exciting projects.

How about you guys? What are you looking forward to? What are you excited about?

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

PSYCHOSOMATIC: Nasty, twisted noir all up in your grill.



Anthony Neil Smith's debut novel PSYCHOSOMATIC is now available as an e-book in multiple e-formats. If you got a Kindle for Christmas, then this is the perfect opportunity to take it for a test run. If you like twisted, nasty tough-as-nails fiction that makes you flinch and wince, then this is the book you want to read ... if ya gots the nerve.
"The darkest song I ever read." -- Ken Bruen

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Buffy the Vampire Singer



Smart, pretty Professor-Wife has an essay in this scholarly tome which examines singing and music and whatnot in Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.


Dear librarians: take note. A must for any collection.

Monday, November 29, 2010

My own personal Tri-corder




My new Droid X is awesome. That is all.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Motion Pictures of the Apocalypse



Hey, folks. About time I brought you guys up to date with what is happening with the film version of my novel Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse. I want to thank the previous producer who did his level best to bring the project together, but nobody bats a thousand, right? New producer/director Jason Hewitt of Films in Motion has picked up the option and hit the ground running. The distributor is super excited about this project, and so are the rest of us. If the website seems like it hasn't been updated in a while, that's because Jason is uber-busy supervising the editing Blood Out (a film he directed) and supervising another picture called The Courier. This guy earned his bones making very modestly budgeted action films and is now doing projects all over the place. He's one of the major players in the burgeoning Louisiana film scene.


What is in store specifically for Go-Go Girls? A high budget slick motion picture? A down and dirty grind house sort of thing? Well, a lot of that depends on me since I'm writing the screenplay. (*gulp*). A good script attracts talent and can move the budget up or down. Uh, no pressure on me, right?


So in between Marvel deadlines, I'm attacking my own novel, deciding what can stay and what can go. Jason and company don't drag their feet. They like to get off the dime and make movies, so I don't have the luxury of lingering over multiple drafts of the screenplay for eighteen months. IT'S GO TIME, BABY!


More as doings unfold ...

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

A short crime film by Lee Goldberg



I've been remiss in not mentioning Lee Goldberg's directorial debut, a short film called REMAINDERED. You can catch the trailer at Lee's blog HERE. Lee's film hit home with me (as it might with many authors) as it concerns an author who has hit a low point. Hey, I've been there. Lee adapted one of his own short stories for the film. This film could have been very Mickey Mouse. It wasn't. Not in the least. Lee managed to find a talented cast and crew hiding in the wilds of Kentucky, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Lee directing again sometime soon since he obviously has an eye for it. I missed the film's debut at Bouchercon last month, but was delighted to get an advanced copy. Entertaining and well-executed.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Check this out!




Get to your local comic book store and ask about this!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

A new novel from Scott Phillips



Scott Phillips is one hell of a writer. Ice Harvest remains one of my favorite novels, and Cottonwood prooved he could take his skills in new, amazing directions.


Now you need to check out his new dystopic novel Rut. But you can't just pop into your local Borders and buy it. Why? Check out this interesting experiment in publishing.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Thanks, NPR



National Public Radio and author Ron Currie were kind enough to include Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse in the "Three Books" section of the NPR website. Thanks! Check it out HERE.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Monday, September 20, 2010

Friday, September 17, 2010

Saturday, September 11, 2010

This is a blog post.

So I sat down in the mood to write a blog post. Thing is I have no idea what to blog about.

Maybe I'll start out by reminding you to buy some things. THE DEPUTY is a few months old now, but I still consider it my "new" novel, so I'll remind you guys that it exists. I've gotten a lot of good feedback from readers. Thanks. You guys rule.

And if you have a Kindle and a a dollar 99 in change between the couch cushions, you can check out something I wrote a long, long time ago. If you're curious check it out here. If you enjoyed Vampire A Go-Go then it might be right up your alley.

Bring money.

The last two weeks have been a hard slug in the funny book mines. I'll be scripting more this weekend, but I'm no longer in EMERGENCY DEADLINE MODE. I'll take the computer out grill-side and work there. Maybe jump in the pool.

I've got lots of stuff in the hopper. People looking at screenplays, reading sample pages, talking about my novels over Hollywood lunches. But it all seems really far away. Lots of sitting and waiting to pass or pull the trigger.

My wife won't let me have an iPhone. "You check e-mail too much already!"

So ... whassup in your world?

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Pimping the Badness



It was pretty cool when I was approached to write a story for the very first issue of Out of the Gutter, a trade paperback formatted journal of nasty-ass, tough crime fiction. The story was called "Final Tally". Fast forward a few years, and we now have Out of the Gutter Books. Their first offering is a collection of the "baddest of the bad"of the first few issues of the magazine. Yes, my story made the cut. Check it out right HERE. Bring money.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Your Funny-book Shopping list














Okay, word on the street is that X-men #1 is doing very, very well. Details about that as doings unfold. And while anything new in the comic world automatically comes with a few haters, the book has found love in several places. I like THIS REVIEW. Get down to your local shop and pick up a copy. Also, keep your eyes open for one of the 1043 variant covers.

Also, if you've come late to the party on all this DEADPOOL CORPS stuff and you're saying to yourself, "How can I find out about this and get caught up and enjoy all the Deadpooly goodness?" Then gets yourself a nifty new hardcover of Prelude to Deadpool Corps. This handy tome collects all five Preludes and sets the stage for Deadpool Corps. Bring money.

And just to prove I talk about other people on this blog besides myself (every 100 years or so) I want to say that I hope you're all reading Wade Wilson's War by Duane Swierczynski. Great stuff.










Sunday, July 4, 2010

A Writer's Wish List

This occurred to me the other day: I'm not doing too bad.

For the second time in my life, I'm writing for a living. Translation: I get to stay home and work in my boxer shorts and sip coffee while I write. I feel like I've paid my dues. My first novel was on a great but small press. The advance was 0.00 dollars. I've graded so many stacks of freshman comp papers that they still occasionally haunt me in my sleep. I survived grad school. I wrote for a large New York publisher until they got sick of me ... then wrote for another big New York publisher until they got sick of me. Then along comes Marvel Comics. I write some things, prove myself, and boom I'm a full time writer again. But I'm not out of the novel business. If you haven't yet, check out THE DEPUTY from Tyrus Books.

So I'm not doing too bad. But the thing is ... I want more. Greedy? Maybe, but I'd prefer to think of it as ambitious. The list of things I still want to do is growing. Somebody will blog or twitter about some cool project and I'll think HEY! THAT SOUNDS NEATO! I WANT IN ON THAT! So below is my writer's wish list:

1. Video Games. I love games like Oblivion or Fallout 3 or Fable because they have such a strong narrative element. I'd love to be the writer for one of these cool games. (And don't you just think Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse would make a great video game?)

2. Novels. Yeah, I know I just directed you to my latest crime novel, but what about the next one? I love writing comics, but those deadlines come fast and it's cuttting into my novel writing time. I'm happy to say in the last 6 days I've put up 6200 words toward my next novel. Finally got off the dime.

3. More novels. I have a lot of ideas for a lot of different genres. Even while working on the novel mentioned above, I kept thinking of 3 other projects I wish I had time for.

4. Screenplays. I've been bitten by the bug and have made a few pennies here and there as a couple of my screenplays have been optioned. But I'd love to see something I've written actually get made into a film. A tall order, I know. Attention, producers: bring money.

5. I want to get an iPhone or a Droid. Not sure that belongs on this list but too bad. My list.

6. Believe it or not, I don't want to be 100% out of teaching. I'd love to be writer in residence or a semester guest for an MFA program. Grading freshman comp cuts too much into writing time, but I do like to work with enthusiastic creative writing students under the right circumstances.

7. I think I might need a new grill soon, and I saw one that had charcoal on one side and gas on the other. The thing was as big as a Navy destroyer.

So ... what about you guys? Got a wish list?

Thursday, July 1, 2010

DEATH OF DRACULA sells out !





Thanks for buying a copy, all you cool readers.


Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Lights, Camera .. WINNER!

We have a winner for the free film option contest:

Thomas Wayne is a senior writer for the baseball writing site DugoutCentral.com. He's spent the past 20 years thoroughly dissecting hundreds of films and screenplays to decipher what truly separates the great from the mediocre and the mediocre from the rotten. He believes he's discovered the secret. Wayne lives with his wife and step-daughter in a small southern state.


Thomas put together a great pitch, detailing his vision for the film, how he would shoot it with thought to locations, etc. and even his strategy for financing. Good job, Thomas. Looking forward to getting this baby underway.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Monday, May 31, 2010

Back

Okay, this blog post is basically a place holder until I can do a proper post about my trip to Italy. Met a lot of great writers and musicians. Ate a lot of good food. So much to talk about. So many people to thank. Later.
For now, I want to express my appreciation to my Italian publisher Meridiano Zero (Hi Marco! Hi Matteo!). Apparently, THE PISTOL POETS was successful enough that they've gone back for another printing. Also, they're going back to GUN MONKEYS as well and doing a run in mass market paperback.


Cool stuff.

More later....

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Bullet Points A Go-Go!

* First, a big-ass thank you to Chris and the staff at Madness Games & Comics for having me out to their excellent store in Plano, Texas. If you're within a 100 miles of this store, you should hop in your vehicle and go check it out. I signed like 2 billion comics and books. Awesomeness.

* And if Texas didn't get enough of me, I'll be coming thru Houston and Austin with Duane Swierczynski in early June. Details as doings unfold.

* I am drinking black, black 8 o'clock Bean coffee as I write this blog post.

* Super Blogpocalypse thanks to Graham Powell for bringing formatting betterness to my e-book THREE ON A LIGHT. Still available for the cheap-ass price of a buck ninety-nine. All you Kindle monkeys should rush to Amazon and make that purchase RIGHT NOW.

* Speaking of purchases, my new crime novel THE DEPUTY has been getting some interesting attention according to my agent. Better go buy your copy now and see what all the fuss is about.

* I bought a new cell phone yesterday. A cheap one.

* Director Adam Egypt Mortimer has finished his screenplay adaptation of my novel SHOTGUN OPERA and it's pretty damn sweet. We hope to start showing it soon. Hey producers! Bring money.

* "Joan Crawford has Risen from the Grave" is an underrated Blue Oyster Cult song.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Worst. Sales-pitch. Ever.



His, folks. I want to introduce you to THREE ON A LIGHT now available on Kindle. Allow me to tell you about it.


THREE ON A LIGHT is a "novel of linked short stories." What's that? Good question. It's pretty self-explanatory, but it's also something I read about when I was a grad student earning my master's degree in English at the University of West Florida. This would be more than twelve years ago. As a naive grad student, I really liked the sound of that. "A novel of linked short stories." Yes, individual stories, but when you smash them all together into a collection they somehow equal something greater than the sum of their parts. In theory. Or something like that.


Grad students love that kind of crap. As a grad student I was also very interested in genre conventions and tropes. What would happen, I wondered, if I took the conventions of a private eye genre and the conventions of the horror genre and mashed them together? Never mind that lots of other writers had already explored this and had probably done a better job. I was curious. I had and idea! So I started writing.


THREE ON A LIGHT chronicles the adventures of private eye Dean Murphy. He's come into the possession of a cursed Zippo lighter, and as a result he finds himself taking on cases that involve werewolves, vampires, witches and other things that go bump in the night.


So if you're curious about my early work and have an extra 1.99 to spare (and own a Kindle) then give this book a try. I'm new at this Kindle thing, and don't expect to earn as much cash as Lee Goldberg and J.A. Konrath, but the book was picked up twice by two different small presses and for whatever reason, both enterprises went south. So Kindle had now given the book a second (third?) life.


I think it's an especially good selection for readers who enjoyed Vampire A Go-Go.


Good luck.


Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Nice Review for THE DEPUTY



I've been remiss in thanking author Mel Odom for his kind words about my new crime novel THE DEPUTY. CHeck out his review HERE.

Thank you, sir!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

X marks the spot.



In case you haven't heard, go HERE.

REMINDER: free film option contest



Hey folks, just a reminder that June 1 is coming soon, and that's the deadline to send me your pitch to option one of my short stories to make a feature film. And by "pitch" I simply mean your plan. Are you going to write a script? Are there producers you know personally that you want in on the project? Do you plan to borrow you mom's old camcorder and film it in your basement. The contest is open to anyone and you can find details in my original post.


Why am I doing this? Because surprisingly often filmmakers or would-be filmmakers contact me about optioning one of my novels but don't really have the money to make it happen. (My most popular novels are already optioned anyway.) So I find myself saying "no" a lot. Offering my short stories for the contest is a way to say "yes."


If everyone who has sent questions about the particulars and parameters of the contest actually follows through with an entry, I think we'll have a goodly number of participants.


Good luck.

Monday, April 12, 2010

THE DEPUTY RELEASED ... No seriously this time.



After a few inconvenient delays, your favorite on-line book venders now have copies of THE DEPUTY in stock !!!! (Instead of delivery 4 months from now ... which sucks.)


Go! Spend!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

10 + 1 Questions with Mike Benson.





Everyone need to get online and order Deadpool: Suicide Kings (which I loved) and Luke Cage Noir (which I plan to love soon) by cool writer-guy type Mike Benson. Mike was nice enough to answer some questions.



1. The obligatory crap: Give us a rundown on your work for Marvel and Television.

MB: My first TV gig was for a show called Local Heroes on Fox. It lasted all of four episodes. From there my writing partner, Marc Abrams and I bounced around from show to show until we landed an episode of Just Shoot Me. From there we worked on a few more canceled shows until finally landing on The Bernie Mac Show, which became our home. Marc and I worked on Bernie for five years climbing the ranks and eventually becoming head writers. After Bernie Mac we went over to Entourage for twenty-five episodes and eventually landed an overall deal. Currently we have a pilot at Fox and at HBO. At Marvel my buddy Adam Glass and I are working on a Cage book and a Deadpool Noir mini series. Can’t really say much more about them at this time. We also have a creator owned book called Monster at Oni Press that we’re about to write.

2 What's the work your most proud of and/or what the work you've done you wish more people knew about?

MB: My Punisher Max one-shot called The Haunted and my Wolverine one-shot Chop Shop are two books that came out well. I’m also proud of my work on Moon Knight. That was a project of love. Deadpool Suicide Kings probably was my most popular work. I wish more people sampled Luke Cage Noir because we got a lot of good feedback from that little book.

3.What the thing you're embarrassed to admit you most love to eat? Pickled eggs? Shamrock shakes?

MB: Hmm. Most embarrassing would be pickled herring. Also there these Mexican lollypops only found at select gas stations deep in the San Fernando Valley. I pretty much keep that to myself too.

4 Your perfect romantic vacation ... and then your perfect getaway with the guys?

MB: My wife and I love going to Kauai. We stay at the Kea Lani Hotel. It’s an absolutely gorgeous place to chillax. We also love Cabo San Lucas and stay at the Palmilla among other places. Cabo is much closer and we find good deals so we go there more often.

5.What sport do you wish you were really good at?


Basketball. Golf. I suck at both.

6. Cake or pie?


Cake. But Crème brulee over cake. You really should have custard as an option.

7. What did you want to be when you were a kid?

MB: Like many kids I wanted to play pro baseball. Then I came to my senses and thought about being a Vet. Then I briefly thought about joining Van Halen. Professional kick-boxer was a viable vocation.

8. Did you "learn" to write via university classes, etc. or are you just flying on natural talent?

MB: I took some creative writing classes at Syracuse. I also took a few script-writing classes like Robert McKee, but I’m pretty much self-taught. Mostly through tons of reading and actually rolling up my sleeves and writing spec scripts. That’s the only way one becomes a real writer.

9. Who should we be reading?

MB: I’m all over the place in who and what I enjoy. I love Michael Chabon, Chuck Palahniuk, Stephen Hunter, Russell Banks, Charlie Huston. Right now I’m reading Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame Smith and really enjoying it. Comics wise: I bought Ed Brubaker’s Criminal hardcover collection, which I love. Scalped by Jason Aaron is a very good comic and Garth Ennis’ The Boys.

10. What's the most physical pain you've ever been in?

MB: Two years ago I tore my ACL in a martial arts tournament. I was sparring when I hyper extended my leg on a mat and actually heard it go pop. I finished out the fight but it hurt like a mother.

11. If you could punch somebody in the nose, who would it be?

MB: Bill O’Reilly and Ray Jay.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Please buy THE DEPUTY so daddy can feed me.




AVAILABLE ON KINDLE TOO!

THE DEPUTY now available on Kindle



For a low-tech guy like me, I'll always want a book made out of good old fashioned dead trees. But for you futuristic types, let in be know that THE DEPUTY is now available on the Kindle via Amazon.com.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

New Plots with Gun



Do you like plots? How about guns? Then you should check out the latest kick-ass issue of PLOT WITH GUNS.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Technical difficulties



I promise there really is a novel called THE DEPUTY, and I really did write it. We suspect copies of the novel are getting "into the system" a bit more slowly than expected. But hang in there. They're coming. Thanks to all who have (and will) order copies!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

THE DEPUTY released today !



At long last, THE DEPUTY -- my happy return to crime fiction -- hits stores today. As it happens, this event coincides more or less with the release of the Italian edition of THE PISTOL POETS from my pals at the hip Italian publishing house Meridiano Zero. Since these books are coming out at the same time but a world apart, I can't help but make some comparisons.


My friend Matteo (in charge of my publicity at Meridiano Zero) tells me newspapers and magazines are already talking me up in Italy and that I can expect more press in the next few weeks as my trip to Italy approaches in May. I love Italian readers, love the way they're welcoming my novels, and I can't wait for my trip. It's nice to write a book and have newspapers and magazines take notice.


Too bad I can't expect that to happen in the good old United States. I mean it might happen ... I'm just not holding my breath. This is not a bitter complaint, nor is it self-pity. It's just a simple recognition of reality. Shrinking column inches is one problem. Being a mid-list author in a sea of mid-list authors is another.


So a writer-type like me must simply get with the times. I'm grateful as hell for the folks who have recently interviewed me or reviewed THE DEPUTY on blogs and websites. I'm afraid if I start posting links, I'll leave somebody out, so please fill up the comments section with links. That would be cool. Also I'm lazy.


I strongly support your choice to purchase your copy of THE DEPUTY any way that seems good to you. So many wonderful people at those indy bookstores out there. (Although nobody has ever treated me shabby at a chain.) But there is a time honored tradition of driving folks to Amazon.com on release day to see if we can budge that rank number, so sure, let's try it. I am grateful as hell for all of you that have ordered the book already. For the rest of you, well, today is the day! If you've been on the fence or have just been waiting for the mood to hit you just right, then I hope now is the time. Please order your copy of THE DEPUTY right here.


Thanks.


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Bullet Points A GO-GO

Stuff ...

Come see me next month at Nola Comic Con in April!

THE DEPUTY, my new hardboiled novel with a western flavor, hits soon. Preorder today!

I talk crap in an interview HERE.

Get your latest dose of Prelude to Deadpool Corps on sale today!

Have you punished yourself lately? Remember that THIS is still for sale. Makes a great gift for the demented in your life.

Still thrilled about THIS FILM NEWS.

Considering Chicago Comic Con. Thoughts?

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Friday, March 19, 2010

The Line-Up #3, poetry you should check out

Gerald So was kind enough to fix me up with with a .pdf copy of THE LINEUP #3 and I have to say I'm impressed. In my opinion, most of the poetry written in the world is utter garbage. When you pick up a Norton Anthology of literature and read some of the classic poems within, you have to understand that each of those gems represents thousands of discarded turds that poets have penned over the centuries. So when I open the pages of The Lineup #3 and see that 75% of the poems within are actually good, I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. You beat the odds, guys. Congratulations.

Not all the poems hit the mark, and without bothering to name names, I'll simply say that some selections suffer from that age old poetry problem -- prose with line breaks. Taking run-of-the mill sentences and giving them neat little line breaks so you have a narrow column of words skipping down the page does not a poem make. Hey, I'm guilty of this myself. One time, I took a crime "poem" I'd written and took out the line breaks and sold it to Crimestalker Casebook as a short-short piece of fiction. It happens.

But many more of the poems are quite enjoyable. I suppose I could go poem by poem and point out some nice use of language and some vivid imagery I think works pretty well ... but I'm a lazy lazy man. Trust me. It's in there, and you should take a look for yourself. I will say that the James Sallis and James W. Hall poems were among the most memorable. Many of the selections are expertly rendered, yet simultaneously accessible to the reader that might not normally make a habit of reading poetry. Try it.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Countdown to THE DEPUTY continues to count down!



Remember, boys and girls. Official realse date of The Deputy (give or take few days) is April 1. Buy them books, people. Feed my family. To entice you, I've listed ten random facts about The Deputy.


1. The novel features two muscle cars, one of which is a Mustang Mach 1. Vrrrooom.

2. In a surprise move, Gischler has included sex and violence in the novel.

3. No one will be seated during the exciting Semi-truck crashing scene.

4. It is set in Oklahoma. Very very rural Oklahoma.

5. Shotguns? Yes.

6. Abba is mentioned!

7. A motorcycle!

8. Coffee and energy drinks!

9. Cell phones don't work so far out in BFE!

10. Tie her up with a lamp cord.


There. I hope you're intrigued. See you at the book store.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Support an author and a publisher!



THE DEPUTY hits officially April 1. No, this is not an April Fool's Day joke. It's really the first crime novel I've published in FOUR YEARS! I mean sure I've been go-going hard with vampires and the fall of civilization, but now I'm coming back to crime fiction and I need your help. How can you help? Well, obviously you can buy a copy or two or ten. If you've read my work before then welcome back. If you've never read a single word written by me, well, maybe this is a good opportunity to try me and see what all the fuss is about. If you're one of the cool types who've been reading my work with Marvel Comics, then this is your chance to see if I can hold your attention without a groovy artist backing me up.


And it's also you're chance to support a hip, new Independent publisher -- TYRUS BOOKS!

You can order copies of The Deputy directly from them, or you can aso support your favorite book store. It's all good!

Hey, we all know I don't have the name recognition of ... say ... J.K. Rowling. It's super important for authors like me to get good word of mouth. So please give The Deputy a try, and, if you happen to dig it, blog it, tweet it, tell somebody.

Thanks!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Free Film Option Contest



Hello directors, producers and screenwriters. Let's talk film options. THIS IS A CONTEST.

Regular readers of this blog know that my novels Gun Monkeys and Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse have been optioned for film, and as soon as I can let other various cats out of other bags, I might be able to announce other bits of news along these lines. I'm also into some screenwriting as I've mentioned before HERE. I love -- LOVE -- the idea of one or more of my novels being adapted for screen, love the idea of how a director or an actor or actress might interpret my story. Obviously, if these films were actually made, I'd pocket a nice bit of change, but more than that is the excitement of actually seeing it happen. So let's do it. Let's make a movie!

I'm not kidding when I say I am frequently approached (via e-mail) by people who would like an option or would like to write a screenplay based on one of my novels. I'm always flattered and always surprised, but I always seem to be turning them away which sort of bums me out. I hate to say no to someone who's so excited about my work. But the fact is I make my living as a writer now, so I have to be careful with my most valuable commodities -- the rights for my novels. Also, the simple fact is that most people ask about books which have already been optioned.

But I got a bunch of short stories that are just getting dusty. So here is the contest. Consider which of my short stories you think could be adapted to a feature film. I'm going to list a few of my favorites below, but any of my short stories is up for grabs. I actually toyed with adapting a few of them myself, but I'm seriously pressed for time these days. In fact, I did adapt one of my own short stories "Silent Harvest" which appeared in the anthology North Florida Noir. I fleshed out minor characters, added and expanded scenes, and viola I had a nice little indy feature screenplay. The script was optioned (and recently renewed) by an energetic producer in NYC.


THE CONTEST:

Submit your best pitch, for any of my published short stories. If you have industry contacts, an agent, a manager, then tell me that. Anything to convince me your serious about getting a film made. It doesn't have to be a 50 million dollar mega-feature. I love small, indy film.

Entries with a visual will get strong preference. Want to do a trailer? Some animation? A mock up of a movie poster. Hey, part of the reason to do this is to have fun, so give me stuff to post and share and I'll link to you.

DEADLINE is JUNE 1, 2010. I want to give people plenty of time to get their ducks in a row.

Post thoughts and ideas in the comments section. Maybe suggest which of my short stories you think would be a good film. Actual pitches should be sent here: victor.gischler@gmail.com

What will come of this? Hell if I know. Maybe nothing. But some days you wake up and think, hey, lets throw some ingredients into the pot and see if we get some lunch out of it.

Keep in mind I am the sole judge and will pick the winner.

Some possible short stories:




"They Always Get You" in These Guns For Hire


"Duffers of the Apocalypse" in Damn Near Dead


"Fire Girl" in Uncage Me


"Xs for Eyes" in Plots With Guns


There are other stories too, if you can find them out there on the inter-web or elsewhere.

Good luck!
UPDATE: Getting some questions in the inbox about the contest, so I thought I'd clarify a few things. The e-mail above is perfectly fine for sending questions.
1. You do NOT need to be an "industry person" to enter the contest. It's just something you could mention in your pitch if you are.
2. Yes, pitches for short films are cool too, but pitches for features might catch my attention more.
3. Yes, any short story, not just the ones listed above. I was hoping to put up some links, but a lot of my online publications have disappeared as these webzines have closed down. If anyone can find a link, please do post it in the comments section.
Questions are cool. Keep 'em coming.
UPDATE: The story "Final Tally" appeared in the first issue of OUT OF THE GUTTER. Since the run of that issue sold out, it might be hard to get a copy, so just send me an e-mail and Ill zap you a file. No problemo.
UPDATE: Also, check out "The Humpers" from The Mississippi Review.

Thursday, February 18, 2010