It's Not Just the Little Guys

Most of us tend to think that the "big guys" get priority when it comes to publishing. A well-known author or person gets picked up, while the rest of the world doesn't even get a "don't ever query me again" response. Well, Bart Barker, the subject of a column in the Huffington Post proves otherwise.

In this case, the "name" may be one you've never heard of: Bart Baker. But if you're in Hollywood, you would have. He's "written a few feature films, including one that starred Pierce Brosnan, as well as seven made-for-TV movies, and worked on such TV series as The Outer Limits and Dirt, starring Courtney Cox. He's produced many of his films, too."

He decided to write a novel. New Line Cinema liked the rough draft so much, they bought the movie rights. Vince Vaughn signed on to star in the movie.

Then everything went into what's called Development Hell. The director quit. Vaughn left. Then his publisher decided to wait until there was a movie. Then more big names signed on. And left. Still no book. Then Bradley Cooper was interested. And Warner Brothers. Then…poof, they're gone.

Nine years have gone by. Everything's still in development hell. Except for the book. It's now out, thanks to the author, Bart Baker.  It may still be a movie someday, supposedly by New Line/Warner Brothers. But I bet Bart Baker isn't holding his breath.

Book Review: Save the Cat! Strikes Back

 Last year, I reviewed the first in the Save the Cat! series by Blake Snyder. This time I’m reviewing the third and last book in the series called Save the Cat! Strikes Back. (I’ll explain why I didn’t buy the second one in a bit.)

The series was recommended by the fabulous author and writing instructor, Les Edgerton.

Years ago I took a screenwriting class, not because I wanted to write for Hollywood, but because I could see that the pace and structure of books was becoming more “movie-like.” I wanted to learn how screenplays were structured. This third book, like my copy of the first, is now part yellow from all the highlighting I did. It is full of advice that you can easily apply to your writing.

For example, here is some of what Snyder said about Loglines:
The template:

On the verge of a Stasis = Death moment, a flawed protagonist Breaks into Two; but when the Midpoint happens, he/she must learn the Theme Stated, before All is Lost.

You might read that and go, huh? But Snyder goes on to explain what each bolded word or phrase means. When you finish reading his explanation and example, you go, Ah-ha.

Here’s another quote that you already know, but when I read it, I paused and thought, of course.

All stories are about transformation.

Writers always talk about the dreaded Elevator Speech where you are called upon to pitch your book within a minute. If you’re interviewing at a conference, you may get ten minutes. For scripts, it’s called simply The Pitch. Snyder shares a Guide that came from one of his students, Betty Ryan:

1. Opening Image - A brief “who” of the hero
2. Catalyst - The thing that sets the story in motion
3. Break into Two - The essence of the story and poster
4. Midpoint - The complication that challenges the hero
5. All is Lost - How the hero loses everything
6. Break into Three - The solution to the hero’s dilemma
7. Final Image - How he is transformed by this story

The book is great, in my opinion, for both scriptwriters and bookwriters. Of course, a class with Blake Snyder would be fabulous and very intense, but we won’t get that opportunity since he passed away in 2009.

Amazon
Barnes and Noble

I like this series so much, I’m creating a new rating just for him: Hel-of-a-Teacher.

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FTC Disclaimer: I bought this book myself and while that did NOT influence my review, it did influence my reading. Dang it if I’m gonna spend money on a book and not read it. Which brings me to why I didn’t buy the 2nd in the series, Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies. When I browsed through it, I thought it would not help me much, as a book writer, since it focused on the analysis of movies. I’m not much on analyzing movies. I just go to them and enjoy them. Now, after reading Book 1 and Book 3, I will get the one in-between. I want to see how he breaks down movies, especially the ones I’ve seen. He diagrams books the way I used to diagram sentences in high school. I don’t think they even teach that anymore. But through these books, you can learn to diagram your story.

Book Review: Save the Cat!

The full title of this book is: Save The Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting That You’ll Ever Need. ‘Course, it’s not the last book since this is book 1 in a three-book series.

The series was recommended by the fabulous author and writing instructor, Les Edgerton. You can click over and read Les’ post on the book. Based on his post, I bought both of the first two books in the series – and I’ve no doubt I’ll end up getting number three.

I’ve taken a class in screenwriting and have read other books related to movies and writing in general, like The Writer’s Journey. What was interesting about Save the Cat! is that the author Blake Snyder is a working screenwriter. He’s been in the business for years. He not only knows what he’s talking about, he backs it up with lots of examples from movies. He doesn’t use just his movie scripts as example, but other well-known movies. Each chapter has Exercises at the end for you to do if you want. He also includes a glossary at the back of the book.

You don’t have to be a screenwriter to learn from Snyder. By breaking down a movie, he shows all writers how to better their own stories.

I opened a random page and found I had highlighted this:

 The forces that are aligned against the hero, internal and external, tighten their grip. Evil is not giving up, and there is nowhere for the hero to go to get help. He is on his own and must endure. He is headed for a huge fall…

That was from page 86 and it was in the section called “Bad Guys Close in (55-75) in Chapter 4: Let’s Beat It Out!

Personally, I think this book would be a good resource for any writer. And in case you’re wondering, he doesn’t just cover action or thrillers, he looks at all genres of movies. I’m looking forward to starting book number 2 in the series. Thanks Les!

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FTC Disclaimer: Save the Cat! was recommended by Les Edgerton, someone I respect and admire as a teacher and writer, but that’s not why I’m recommending it, nor did it influence my review. And I paid for the book myself. I was, however, influenced by the cute kitty on the cover, hanging onto a rope for dear life. Clearly, that symbolizes the writer, hanging onto her story by a thread and hoping someone will pull her up and teach her the kitty kung fu needed to finish the book and get it published. She’s in such danger I bought book 2 so I could see if she gets saved on that cover. I’ll tell you the outcome when I finish reading book 2. You’ll be shocked. (This, folks, is what’s called a cliffhanger.)

Script Writing

Do you write scripts, or are maybe thinking about it? Here’s a few snippets from an article called: Writing and Selling Your Spec Screenplay

“If you have writing samples, that’s excellent. Something you should know is people don’t write spec scripts in animation. We don’t need a script. We’ll just buy your idea. It’s a very narrow target at DreamWorks Animation, Sony animation, and Disney animation because we’re trying to make blockbusters. We’re trying to do something that hasn’t been done before, but that appeals to children and adults.” [DreamWorks Animation How to Train Your Dragon co-producer Karen Foster, who’s worked as a development exec at DreamWorks Animation and at Disney.]

“One remarkable improvement now is the addition of online marketing places like InkTip where smaller projects seem to be hooking up more easily. It doesn’t lessen the need for a good agent but gives beginners more of a chance.” [Tron screenwriter and co-producer Bonnie MacBird]

“I try to figure out what the market is too saturated with and avoid those types of movies.” [writer-producer Sascha Rothchild]

Link over to read the full article.

Anybody writing a script - or perhaps thinking of converting your novel to a movie script?

Books: Sitcom or Drama?

If you were writing the script or pitch for a new TV show centered in the publishing world, would you make it a comedy or a drama? Do you think you could sell such a show?

Someone did.

Gail Lerner, writer of Will and Grace and co-executive producer of Ugly Betty, has sold CBS on the idea of a comedy centered on a book editor and her friends.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the show will be called Open Books. In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Lerner said:

“Publishing is a lot like sitcoms. Although both are supposedly dying, that only makes people more passionate about creating the next great novel or show.”

What do you think about this idea? Would you watch it? Will anyone who’s not a writer, editor or connected to the publishing world watch it? Would you have written a comedy or a tragedy, a romance, or some other genre?

Writing by Twilight

While zipping around the Internet, an article in the Examiner by Katrina-Kasey Wheeler caught my eye. The article was titled, “Melissa Rosenberg on Writing Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse: ‘I Think Fans Will Be Very Satisfied’” I was about to click on past, when I said to myself, wait a minute here - Rosenberg didn’t write those books. Myself said nothing in response, but did click the link to check out what was going on.

Turns out what was going on was an interesting article about the SCREENwriter of those books.

Here are a few quotes:

The third one [Eclipse] was hard. Actually, the hardest one of the three for me to write.

From the very beginning with Twilight, that’s what Stephenie’s one thing was: "Do the book. Adapt the book. Don’t use the book as a jumping-off place ...."

The biggest challenge is the Bella/Edward, because you’re always writing a line between real intimacy and what’s true versus overly maudlin or melodrama. True romance and true drama — that’s always the line.

It’s not a long article, but has some stuff you might want to read whether you’re a screenwriter or an author who hopes to have a movie made of your book.

Goodbye to Bud Shrake

Writer Bud Shrake died this past Friday. Although he’s considered a giant in Texas literature, having set all but one of his novels in the Lone Star State, he’s well-known around the world. He started as a journalist and moved into novels and biographies, including one of Willie Nelson, and screenplays.

Although a native of Fort Worth, Texas, he died in Austin, of cancer. In the 60s and 70s he was part of a group of Austin writers known as the Mad Dogs. Austin screenwriter, photographer, and friend, Bill Wittliff, said, “Bud was a treasure. He was one of those who took the raw material of our history and was making real literature of it. He was one of the greats with Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy. We were fortunate indeed to have his voice.”

Shrake was probably best known for his book on golfing. He co-authored Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book, which became the best-selling sports book in publishing history, according to the Dallas News.

Shrake grew up during the depression. When asked why he became a writer, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that he answered:

The sight of bread lines and soup kitchens was always scary to me. I had this fear of being destitute. Somebody said the other day, 'Well, if you were afraid of being broke, you sure picked quite a way to make a living.' "

According to the Dallas News, “He was friends with some of the best-known literary, cultural and political stars of the era, including Willie Nelson, George Plimpton, Norman Mailer, James Dickey and William Styron.”

His literary agent, Esther Newberg, said:

He loved Texas. There isn't anybody you'll find who could say anything bad about him. And you don't find many people who have lived that long that you can say that about.

Bud Shrake was married three times, twice to the mother of his two sons, but the love of his later years was Ann Richards, ex-governor of Texas. He called her the anchor of his life for 17 years. He will be buried beside her in the Texas State Cemetery.

Comic Books

Anyone been to see Watchmen? Let me rephrase that, any of you been to see Watchmen? Clearly, a ton of people have been since it broke records on its debut weekend.

If you want to find out more about Alan Moore, the author, there’s a good article in the Chicago Tribune.

Initially a 12-issue series with artist Dave Gibbons, the collected volume has become one of the most acclaimed graphic novels ever, hailed by Time magazine as one of the best 100 novels of the 20th Century. It's about aging superheroes, nuclear politics and social engineering.

One interesting thing to note is that Moore has apparently sworn off movie profits of his books.

About "Watchmen" he said, "I will be spitting venom all over it for months to come."

Despite his spitting venom, the article has this description of Moore:

But there's also a British cheekiness about Moore, 54, who claims to be a recluse. There's a playful fussiness to him that, at worst, comes off like a teenage affectation—the muddled philosophical arguments driving the story of muddled anarchists in "V for Vendetta," for instance. He is also a cultural treasure chest, spilling over with connections that mash up a century of literature to create something new that honors the old.

Anybody read Watchmen? I started it but didn’t finish.

Films for Book Lovers

This is a posting of an email I received from the Texas Book Festival. Those of you living in the Austin area or visiting for South by Southwest might find it interesting:

Book-Friendly Films at this Year's SXSW Film Festival

Hello Book Lovers! The SXSW Film Festival (March 13-21 in Austin) wants to let you know about a few book-friendly feature films that will screen at this year's 16th annual event. Below you can find films, schedules, and their descriptions. We hope to see you at SXSW! For more information on SXSW, visit: http://sxsw.com. You can find the schedule for these and other films at: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule. These literary films include:

Awaydays
Director: Pat Holden. Writer: Kevin Sampson

A blade-sharp rites-of-passage that buzzes with the post-punk energy of its late-70s Liverpool setting. Based on the classic novel by Kevin Sampson. Cast: Nicky Bell, Liam Boyle, Stephen Graham, Oliver Lee (North American Premiere)

3/13/2009, Alamo Ritz 2, 6:45 PM
3/18/2009, Alamo Lamar 2, 11:45 AM
3/20/2009, Alamo Lamar 2, 4:00 PM
________________________________________

For the Love of Movies
Director: Gerald Peary

The first documentary to dramatize the rich, fascinating history of American film criticism. (World Premiere)

3/16/2009, Alamo Ritz 2, 8:00 PM
3/18/2009, Alamo Ritz 2, 12:00 PM
3/21/2009, Alamo Lamar 3, 4:00 PM
________________________________________

Monsters from the Id
Director: David Gargani

The untold story of 1950’s American Sci-Fi Cinema and the role of the Modern Scientist.
The 1950's was an idealistic time in American history. It was also the Atomic Age where new technology promised to both save humanity as well as destroy it. All of these factors gave birth to the most prolific genres in film history, 1950's Sci-Fi Cinema. Features interviews with Patrick Luciano and Gary Coville, the authors of Smokin' Rockets: The Romance of Technology in American Film, Radio and Television, 1945-1962.

3/13/2009, Alamo Lamar 3, 9:45 PM
3/18/2009, ACC, 11:30 AM
3/21/2009, Alamo Lamar 2, 2:00 PM
________________________________________

Over the Hills and Far Away
Director: Michel Orion Scott

This documentary chronicles the journey of the Isaacson family as they travel through Mongolia in search of a mysterious shaman they believe can heal their autistic son. The book about the Isaacsons’ journey, The Horse Boy, is being published by Little, Brown in April.

3/17/2009, Paramount, 11:00 AM
3/19/2009, Alamo Lamar 2, 1:30 PM
3/20/2009, ACC, 7:00 PM
________________________________________

Blood Trail
Director: Richard Parry

At times war photographer Robert King resembles a heroic misfit straight out of the pages of Scoop, thrown into the heart of battle, struggling to adapt to the brutal environment he finds himself in. Occasionally comic, often touching, more often dark, the documentary Blood Trail, the tale of Robert King, is a unique and personal journey, a film which follows him over 15 years and through three wars.

3/13/2009, ACC, 9:30 PM
3/16/2009, Alamo Ritz 2, 12:00 PM
3/18/2009, ACC, 4:30 PM
________________________________________

Drunken Angel: The Legend of Blaze Foley
Director: Kevin Triplett

Born in a tree house, killed in a friend's living room, 86'ed from his own funeral, Blaze Foley is now a bona fide country music legend. His heartfelt songs are covered by Merle Haggard, John Prine, Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett. Drunken Angel reveals the secret of failing in the music business while succeeding as a legend. Sybil Rosen’s memoir of Foley, Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze Foley, was published last year.

3/18/2009, ACC, 7 PM

Enjoy!

Books and Movies, A Melding

Publishers and producers seem to be holding hands more and more. There have always been book/manuscript scouts on the lookout for movie ideas. Now, Hollywood seems to be doing more than just holding hands – they’re kissing and telling.

The Los Angeles Times has an article about the relationship between HarperCollins and indie producer Jeff Sharp ("Boys Don't Cry," "Proof," "Nicholas Nickleby" and "Evening"). Sharp has launched a book-to-film unit, Sharp Independent, at HarperCollins. He’ll be sifting through submissions and picking out titles he feels would be good for adaptation to the cinema.

How and when did this partnership come about? At a 2006 Christmas party, Sharp met with HarperCollins Chief Executive Jane Friedman.

The two friends talked about the need for a better partnership between filmmakers and publishers. He began outlining a possible joint venture with Friedman, who has a reputation for innovation, and the plan was launched last year.

Now, if you’re a potential HarperCollins author and you get picked by Sharp, that may or may not make you happy. You may be hoping for some other production company.

Never fear, you don’t have to sign with Sharp Independent.

No author will be required to sign a film option as a condition of getting a HarperCollins book deal.

This deal with HarperCollins gives Sharp an inside track on material, but he’s not the only runner on the track.

"If they [HarperCollins] can get more movies made from books, it's a win for everybody," said Simon Lipskar, an agent with Writers House. But even though Sharp's access to material is a plus, he added, "it's a little hysterical to think he's got a big advantage. There's no literary submission with any heat in this town that film scouts can't get their hands on."

I’ve said this before, and I’m saying it again, things are a-changing in the publishing world.

The Strike is On

You may be thinking, what the heck does the writers strike have to do with me? It's all those rich screen and TV writers picketing.

First off, they're writers - our cousins, even if we're not scriptwriters. But more important, I feel, is that they're fighting for something that affects us.

Royalties.

Internet royalties. DVD revenues. Residual fees for Internet and cell phone streaming. If you want to relate it to yourself, as a fiction or nonfiction writer, think e-books and Internet downloads.

The writers, represented by the Los Angeles-based Writers Guild of America (WGAW) and the New York-based Writers Guild East (WGAE), aren't asking for millions. They're asking for a few pennies at a time. People pay to download a movie to their cell phone. Why shouldn't writers get a bigger share of that money? What would the movie be without the writer?

When your publisher or big search engine puts your book in their "library" and allows or sells downloads, should you, the writer, be compensated each time its downloaded or copied? Writers live and eat by their royalties.

The strike may go on for some time. Writers will feel the worst of the pain. They're not being paid during the strike for jobs they left to join the picket line. But producers of some prime-time series have worked for months to stockpile episodes in hopes of riding out the strike. Major studios are ready through 2008 to withstand the strike.

Yeah, you and I will be affected through reruns and, heaven forbid, more reality TV instead of late-night comedy. But I say, go for it, cuz.

A Weekend of Books, Writers, Friends and Sore Feet

This past weekend was filled with so many books, writers, and friends that I smiled the whole time, despite my aching feet. If you live in Austin or have been reading my posts, then you know that this past Saturday and Sunday was the Texas Book Festival.

The Festival was great. The only bad thing, for me, was that I only got to see a fraction of it. But what I got to see was wonderful. As Chair of the events at the Austin Museum of Art, I was there (on my feet) from about 8:30 or 9 in the morning until around 6. I’m used to sitting on my bee-hind at the computer, not standing in boots on a hard floor.

But I was well compensated because I got to hear wonderful panels and see great slides. Almost all the books were coffee table books on subjects ranging from photographs of Stanley Marcus to political memorabilia to Texas football to dance halls to country houses built by John F. Staub. And I also had the best volunteers. Only one no-call, no-show. And I had one young man show up unexpectedly and he stayed all day, even helped put away table and chairs on Sunday.

The most well attended event was Sunday afternoon – Bill Wittliff, the guy who wrote the fabulous screenplay for Lonesome Dove. I won’t tell you how well-attended, because you might alert the fire marshal. We were definitely SRO. Bill was so funny and had great stories to tell from the shooting of the movie. I wanted to get his book and autograph, but the line was so long that by the time I could have gotten to him, the next panel was well under way (and we had thirty minutes between each panel).

A fun panel was Sunday morning on vaqueros, led by John Dyer. Also on the panel were Elmer Kelton and Marty Alegria. Marty is a real vaquero and he came fully dressed, not in a costume, but in his everyday gear for working on the King Ranch.

An author friend of mine stopped by – Diane Fanning. She had a panel on Saturday and another on Sunday up in the capitol area, and she drove in both days since she doesn’t live in Austin. On Sunday, she took the time to troop down Congress, carrying her bag of stuff for her panel, just to say hi to me. What a wonderful surprise that was. She has news about upcoming books and her most current one out, but I’ll let her tell it.

All the writers I “hosted” at AMOA were really nice, even the big names like Wittliff and Kelton. No snobs among them.

I’m taking today to recover, then I’ll be ready to go again next year.

Screenwriters United in Call for Strike

The buzz today is that the screenwriters union in Hollywood will strike. Union leaders in both New York and Los Angeles have been meeting to approve the move. For both writers and producers, the sticking point seems to be the union’s demand for an increase in fees writers receive when their work is reproduced on DVDs, the Internet, mobile phones and other electronic devices.

According to BBC News:

Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America (WGA) had met the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Wednesday, hours before an existing agreement expired.

The BBC also said:

Five thousand members of the WGA recently took part in a ballot and 90% voted in favour of industrial action.

The last time screenwriters walked off the job was in 1988. That move delayed some TV series and cost a reported $500m.

According to the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW):

Before a standing-room-only audience of 3,000 Writers Guild members in the Los Angeles Convention Center’s West Hall in downtown L.A. Thursday night, the Writers Guild of America Negotiating Committee, on behalf of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), announced its unanimous recommendation to call a strike against the film studios and television networks that make up the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), on their website in an article posted at 3:39 this morning said:

Through the course of negotiations, we have never received ANY counterproposals to our serious proposals -- not only on DVD's and Internet downloads, but other issues important to us -- especially new media and expanded jurisdiction in such areas as reality programming, animation and basic cable.
The members of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are using fear and attempts at intimidation to maintain a status quo that makes no sense in a 21st century world of rapidly expanding global markets and new media. They are after our livelihoods with a short-sighted strategy that would reduce residuals by as much as 85%, drastically undermining our economic security and the very creativity on which they rely.

On the other side of the table, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), in their position paper, said the roadblock, for them, is the DVD issue, including the formula for electronic sell-through.

The consistent message from the CEOs was that, for overriding business reasons, the home video formula would not be changed. ... no further movement is possible to close the gap between us so long as your DVD proposal remains on the table. In referring to DVDs, we include not only traditional DVDs, but also electronic sell-through -- i.e., permanent downloads.

The writers are getting outside moral support. Actor Alec Baldwin, for example, wrote a blog post in The Huffington Post recalling the last WGA strike and applauding writers.

… as an actor who has worked in film and television since 1980, I have always been pretty clear about the fact that we are nowhere without the writers in our industry. And that goes beyond the scary concept of a world of unscripted reality TV. Television and film writers are responsible for some of the greatest literature in the history of our society.

Things can always change at the last minute, but as of today at 3 a.m., the WGA Contract 2007 Negotiating Committee had made an unanimous recommendation that the WGAE and WGAW implement the strike authorization.

Transformers, the Movie

Went to the movies last night to see Transformers. I remember the cartoon show from when my son was little. We had all kinds of transformers around the house.

I bought our tickets online, but, even so, we should have arrived about forty-five minutes early instead of fifteen. We ended up on the second row, way down front in the overflow area. Looking straight up. One of those seats where you have to turn your head left and right to try to see everything happening on the huge screen only feet from your nose.

Every seat was taken. And I heard that the show after ours was sold out. Transformers is a hit. I heard someone on TV say it could be the summer blockbuster. For a show about toys? No, for a show that has amazing special effects and non-stop action. And that’s from someone sitting on the second row who couldn’t see the entire screen at once.

Of course, there was a screenplay. There was, after all, some dialogue. So someone did write the script. I’m not sure who, although I did stay through every last credit at the end. I was amazed by the list of those involved with the graphics, special effects, animatronics and such. Loooong credits.

I would like to go see it again – from a row farther back in the theatre. I think from a better seat some of the fight scenes would look like two transformers fighting rather than a big blur. Even from close up, though, I could tell that whoever did the transforming effects probably was a genius. They also probably spent hours on each few seconds of film.

No discredit to the screenwriter, but don’t go see Transformers for the dialogue. Go for the action and special effects.

I've Been Tagged!

Today I planned to finish up the discussion on editing your manuscript. It’ll have to wait, though. Yesterday I got tagged.

That doesn’t mean my husband put me in a yard sale for fifty cents. Not yet, anyway.

David Bowles of Writing the Westward Sagas tagged me. In blog-talk that means I’m now “it” in an online game of tag. I have to write five things that you may not know about me. Then, I have to tag five other bloggers. And the game spreads across the internet.

Here are the rules of the game:
Each player of this game starts with the “5 little known things about you”. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 5 unusual things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 5 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you are tagged” in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

This was not an easy assignment for me. I’ve been writing a weekly e-newsletter for 8 years now and started daily blogging last year. I’m a fairly open book already.

1) I grew up in a household of women: my mother and four girls. Actually, though, it was three girls. I don’t really remember my oldest sister living at home since she left when I was five and that was about the time my youngest sister was born. As kids, the three of us did not get along. We fought and argued all the time. My sister, Cathy, once told me to shut up. I didn’t, of course. She told me to shut up or she’d knock the snot out of me. I didn’t. So she did … knock the snot out of me. Another time we were fighting and somehow in the scuffle I bit the metal rail on the bunk bed. Cracked my tooth. It’s still missing the corner. Surprisingly though I don’t have that many childhood scars. And the three of us get along fine now.

2) I’ve lived in Texas most of my life. My mother moved us here when I was ten. You ask people overseas or even New Yorkers and they’ll tell you Texans ride horses or drive pickups with gun racks. So not true. Sure, we have cowboys and gun-toting pickup drivers, but we’re also city-fied. I’ve never shot a gun. I did go deer hunting with my husband once years and years ago. He left the blind for a few minutes and let me hold the gun. With the safety on. Across my lap. Turned away from his direction. Did I mention I was not to turn off the safety?

3) Friends know I have curly hair. But I didn’t always have curly hair. It used to be straight. Seriously. Straight as a board, as they say. In high school, I was always putting my hair in rollers or sleeping on wet hair in pin curls. Within an hour of styling it, it’d be flat. My sister was always ironing her hair to try to take out her curls. Then, something happened. I had kids and my hair began to curl. First waves, then curls. Tighter and tighter. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but there are still times when I miss my straight hair.

4) One time in a screenwriting class, the assignment was to write a short scene about something that happened in your life. When I finished reading mine aloud, half the group looked shocked as if they wanted to cry; the other half looked skeptical as if they thought I’d made it up. The reactions surprised me because I thought the story was really funny. When I was seventeen I left home for college. Not long after I did, my mother left Lockhart and moved into a trailer. I would go home on occasional weekends. One weekend, I drove into the trailer park and discovered that the only thing left was the steps that used to lead up to her trailer. She’d moved. I had no idea where she or my younger sister had gone. They’d just pulled up stakes and left. Without a word. Now, that’s funny, right?

5)Lastly, if you’ve read my bio, then you know I was a mermaid for three years. What you may not know is what that entailed. For three years (the place was open every day except Christmas day) I jumped into 68 degree spring-fed water. Even when the catwalk iced over, I swam. I could do synchronized underwater ballet and hold my breath for two to three minutes. You could always tell who were the rookies and who were the seasoned performers: the rookies would flash through the ballet moves and grab their air hoses before the rest of us could finish our first reverse split. I can eat and drink and blow air rings underwater. I can swim in a mermaid tail – and that’s not easy folks. I can talk underwater. The mermaids used to sit on our lily pad perches during picnic and talk to each other. I’ve swam with a pig, with several pigs, actually, and I’m not talking about the guys in the show. And I have a couple of postcards to prove my mermaid days. In one I’m standing on the volcano in the show area. In the other, I’m on top of the submarine in which the audience sat to watch the show. Being a mermaid didn’t pay much, but it was fun.

That’s it. My secret talents and stories. Well, not all of them. But enough for now.

Speaking of “now.” I now tag the following bloggers:
Robert Giron at Chez Robert Giron
Todd Glasscock at Exile on Ninth Street
Susan Wittig Albert at Lifescapes
Cynthia Leitich Smith at Spookycyn
Sherry Thomas at Plotters and Manipulators United

Tell us five things we don’t know about you.