GHOST STAR: Special Discount for the Month of April

Starting today, Ghost Star takes its place on Amazon's MONTHLY DEALS page. That means the book, normally priced at $2.99, will be on sale at $0.99 for the entire month of April. Yay!

Pick up your own Kindle copy, or, if you already own it, share the news with your sci-fi adventure, bargain-loving pals.

You can shop the promotion by going HERE. Just type Ghost Star Adventures in the search bar.

Please spread the word and thank you for your support!

R.I.P. Animation Great Fred Crippen

The folks at Animation Insider (definitely follow them if you haven't already) report that noted animation director/producer Fred Crippen recently passed away at age 90. Mr. Crippen contributed mightily to the cartoon biz with quirky commercials, spots on Sesame Street, and more. His most well-known addition to the corpus of American TV animation was the off-the-wall 1965 series, Roger Ramjet.

As mentioned on Wikipedia, "the show was known for its crude animation, frenetic pace, and frequent references to popular culture, which allowed the show to entertain various age groups."

Kids of that time loved it.

The series featured Ramjet as the adult leader of the American Eagle Squadron, a group of four kids who also happened to be expert jet pilots. Each episode, the squadron was tasked with saving the world in "around 5 minutes and 20 seconds."

Many thanks, Fred Crippen!

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Here's a sample episode of Roger Ramjet entitled "Comics" wherein our heroes battle alien robots who hope to conquer a weakened Earth with (really really bad, boy it's bad) "comedy." Enjoy!

Animation Writer FAQ: Script Formatting

Q: I have a teleplay. I've heard there are different formats for scripts. My format consists of the heading, dialogue, and description being 1.25 spaces from the left edge of the paper. The character names above their dialogue are the only things I indented. My page numbers are at the bottom right

of the paper. Keeping in mind that there are different formats for scripts, is my format correct?

A: There are two main script formats -- sitcoms and screenplays. With the exception of "act breaks" (the annoying advertising part that pays for everything), the hour TV dramas are usually written in standard screenplay format. In this format, the margins are small, the dialogue is indented from the action description, and the character names are centered over the dialogue. Sitcom scripts are similar but the margins are wider and the dialogue is double-spaced.

I would recommend that you find a show that is similar in style to your teleplay (half-hour comedy, etc.) and then set about getting a copy of a script for that show. There are various online resources. In order to be taken seriously, you should make your script look like this script from an existing show -- one that was generated by a professional.

Another thing you might want to consider is purchasing some script writing software. These contain script templates for many kinds of television and film scripts and even things like plays, novels, and radio scripts. I have used both "Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000" and "Final Draft". Final Draft seems to be more popular among professional animation writers, to the point that it’s considered the industry standard, but both are good. These applications can be kind of pricey ($100 - $200+) because of their narrow appeal (professional writers) but I found they seriously increased my productivity and so are worth every penny. 

One more thing; the page numbers go in the upper right hand corner.

 

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If you have a question about writing for animation, send it to me via the CONTACT tab. If you have your own thoughts about this particular question, please leave them in the comments.

FANTASTIC BEASTS 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald Trailer

I thoroughly enjoyed the first movie, the second one looks even better!

Author FAQ: What Software Should I Use to Write My Books?

Q: I was curious what software you use for writing your books.  I want to convert one of my scripts into book format and pursue creating a series of pre-to-early teen books, so I want to make sure what I submit follows industry standards.

A: I use MS Word for all of my book writing (picture books, short stories, chapter books, and novels). I've also used a screenwriting program which has a novel template. The script program worked okay, but I prefer Word because its files are more universally accepted -- the screenplay software pretty much requires the person at the other end to have it too.  Ultimately, you'd have to convert the screenplay program file to Word anyway (to have anyone else read it) and when I had to do that there were tons of formatting problems that I had to go through and fix manually. Maybe other authors who use a screenplay book template can weigh in on their level of success.

With regard to industry formatting standards, there are a skillion how-to books on the shelf that show you proper page and paragraph layout, etc.

You're correct in wanting to get it right as I've read that an improperly formatted book sample can drive a prospective editor or agent bonkers.

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If you have a question about writing books, send it to me via the CONTACT tab. If you have your own thoughts about this particular question, I'd love to hear them so please leave them in the comments.

Pix From My Friend to the North

Canadian author pal Scott Bury sent pix of him with his copy of GHOST STAR. As you can see from the inscription, I consider him to be an important member of my "brain trust of beta readers." He really did help make my book more readable. Thanks, Scott!

Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime (Official Video)

My favorite video of my favorite song by my favorite band. I first saw it back in the early 80s and my mind was blown. Enjoy.

Animation FAQ: Thoughts on How to Sell an Animated Series

Q: I am an aspiring writer/artist/musician with an animated show idea. I have character illustrations, a series synopsis, 12 plot treatments, and music samples that I have worked on extensively. I have a friend who creates and pitches TV shows for a living, but I am not sure about his degree of success in that field. He encouraged me to create the series in the first place. I have no idea how to get my idea in front of people besides my admittedly low-level connection. Do you have any suggestions?

A: Disclaimer: I've come close a couple of times, but have yet to sell a series. 

That said...it sounds like you have a lot of the components one would need to pitch an animated

"Hodag of Horror"

show. The fact that you're a musician who's able to provide show-related music samples might even give you an edge over most.

With regard to your friend, if he creates and pitches shows "for a living" (meaning he gets paid) he is without a doubt VERY successful in his field and not a "low level connection" at all. In fact, he's about as good a connection as you can get. Is he a professional writer? If so, that means he probably has a "literary" agent (an agent that exclusively handles TV, film, or animation writers). Ask him for a referral to his agent. 

I strongly recommend having a couple of writing samples (spec sitcoms, well-known animated shows in the same category as your series, even a spec feature script that shows off your style) in addition to your pitch. Write them, then begin the hunt. If your friend doesn't have an agent, once you get the samples, start the hunt yourself. Pursue any other connections you might have and go to the WGA site for a listing of Guild approved agents. Once you have that, start sending out query letters (try to get a name rather than sending out generic "Dear Agent" letters) explaining that you're interested in representation, have a project (don't go into too much detail), list your samples, and ask if they would be interested in taking a look at one (of the samples). If they say yes, you've got your foot in the door. 

You didn't mention where you lived, but it'd be helpful if it was in LA or NY. That's where most of the agencies and the production co./networks are located. It wouldn't be impossible to secure representation if you lived somewhere else, just a lot harder. An agency would be more likely to sign someone who's "in town" and available for the meetings they'd set up. The bottom line is that you need to secure an agent if you have any hope of having your project looked at by anyone who really counts. Good luck!

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If you have a question about writing for animation, send it to me via the CONTACT tab. If you have your own thoughts about this particular question, please leave them in the comments.

REVIEW: Your Name

I rolled my eyes when I first read the description for "Your Name" ("A teenage boy and girl embark on a quest to meet each other for the first time after they magically swap bodies."), but it turned out to be a mature, well-crafted film -- wistful, with gentle humor and lots of heart. The animation is some of the best I've seen...anywhere. Recommended.

WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE

Ghost Star: Limited Time Price Promotion

My pals at Kindle Press have decided now is a good time for special discount pricing on Ghost Star. To quote Annie Lennox, "Who am I to disagree?"

For a limited time (Thursday, 2/8/18 - Thursday, 2/15/18), my book will be on sale for $0.99! That's ninety-nine digital pennies for 50k words of action-packed digital adventure!

If you already own Ghost Star please pass along this little wallet-friendly nugget of news to friends and family who might enjoy saving a couple of bucks on a fun, fast-paced, space opera-y read.
Yes, I'm shamelessly asking you to please spread the word. Tell them it's like Star Wars without those annoying Ewoks or Porgs. They'll thank you for it and so will I.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW

Thank you!

PUBLICATION DAY! Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree

The big day has arrived for the second part in my YA Viking fantasy series, Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree!

Here's the description: "When the roots of the Great Tree are attacked by a plague of monster slugs, Eirik and his companions must destroy the ravenous creatures before they release the Nidhoggr, a mountain-sized dragon bent on bringing death and destruction to all of the nine worlds."

Sound exciting? I think so and hope you'll agree.

This novella-length fantasy adventure is now available as a Kindle title on Amazon.

You can check it out HERE.

Thanks!

Looky What Just Showed Up

Woo hoo!

Available HERE.

GHOST STAR: Publication Day Has Arrived!

Just a quick post... Both editions of Ghost Star are now available on Amazon!

Kindle Edition ($2.99)

Paperback Edition ($11.95)

To everyone who helped me get my book over the finish line -- from my trusty beta readers/proofers and editor to those who nominated Ghost Star during its Kindle Scout campaign -- thank you! This is an amazing day for me and I am grateful!

If you received a free review copy of the book from Kindle Scout as a reward for nominating it, please use the above links to leave a review on Amazon. You can do this if you bought the book on your own, too. The more reviews the better (as far as Big A's marketing algorithms are concerned). In other words, reviews help authors sell books.

If you'd like, you can also leave a review on Goodreads.

If you're a book blogger or librarian and would like a review copy, feel free to CONTACT ME.

Again, thank you!

UNDRASTORMUR, Part 2: The Great Tree NOW AVAILABLE for Pre-Ordering

This announcement is a two-fer: a pre-order availability, er, announcement AND cover reveal.

Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree is a novella length continuation of Eirik's adventures from the first book. Lots of fantasy adventuring going on in this one--monsters, an ego-maniacal Norse god, a fierce shieldmaiden, and, of course, our brave but reluctant hero, Eirik. The book is now available for pre-ordering. The actual date of publication is 01/30/18.

Here's my book's description...

When the roots of the Great Tree are attacked by a plague of monster slugs, Eirik and his companions must destroy the ravenous creatures before they release the Nidhoggr, a mountain-sized dragon bent on bringing death and destruction to all of the nine worlds.

And here's the cover designed by Keith Robinson. Give him a shout if you're an author looking for a cool cover from an easy-to-work-with designer.

Interested? Check out these links:

Amazon Pre-order link: http://amzn.to/2C1UTIr

Amazon Author page: http://amzn.to/2C5kdzv

Thanks!

POLL QUESTION: Ghost Star vs Undrastormur

Both the Kindle and paperback versions of Ghost Star are coming out on 01/09/18. The second Undrastormur book (Kindle) is ready to go now. Should I publish the Undrastormur book BEFORE or AFTER Ghost Star's release? 

I guess I'm concerned about the two books possibly getting in each other's way. Am I overthinking it? 

Feedback appreciated.