Characters from my Pilot, Shadow Boy

So, I'm working on the rewrites for the pilot of my supernatural series, Shadow Boy. Trying to catch all of the mistakes is stressful, but it's coming together.

I wanted to share with y'all some of the cast of the series and the premise.

Shadow Boy 

A family crisis forces 19 year-old Brandon Hanks to leave Chicago, and live with his grandmother in the sleepy town of Marion, South Carolina. As he settles into his new home, Brandon meets the cavalier and handsome, Jackson Garrett. The chemistry between the two boys is instantaneous. However, things become complicated when Brandon learns that Jackson is a supernatural being, running from dark and deadly past. 

CAST

BRANDON HANKS (19) – He's smart, a bit of a geek and very strong willed. He is also very guarded and keeps his deepest feelings hidden in a journal. Brandon just moved in with his grandmother and aunt in Marion, South Carolina, after a fallout with his stepfather. The incident was very tough for Brandon, but he manages to stay positive. This is his opportunity for a fresh start in Marion, especially after meeting Jackson.

JACKSON GARRETT (20) – He’s laid-back, charming, a little mischievous and not completely human. Jackson is a descendant from an ancient god, Pan. It’s something he's not comfortable with, but determined to make the best of the situation. Jackson's gifted with supernatural talents: psychic persuasion, controls shadows and element, and more. Jackson uses his powers carefully, but once he let loose, he is a force to be reckon with. Jackson has an interest in Brandon.

PATRICK (21) - Riddled with psychopathic qualities, Patrick is not a person to ignore. He, too, is a descendant of Pan and a former friend or ‘brother’ of Jackson. Patrick’s gifts are very different from Jackson’s. He revels in his powers by causing pain and chaos. Patrick also has a love/hate with Jackson. He would die for Jackson and at the same time, he wants to be one to kill him before anyone else can. 

NANA – BEVERLY (58) – She is Brandon’s grandmother. Nana is a very warm and open person. She firmly believes in family first and gives nothing less than her whole heart in anything she does. Nana has lived in Marion all of her life and is very aware of everything, including some of the town’s deadly secrets.

KEN GARRETT (38) – As a war veteran from Desert Storm, Ken has seen his share of madness. But raising a supernatural son, (Jackson) clearly hikes up the bar. Both Jackson and Ken have had their ups and downs, but at the end of the day they love each other wholeheartedly. Ken is a bit of an aloof, but he is loyal and very caring.

MARY TREK (42) - Brandon's aunt. She is very headstrong and straightforward. She runs the family business, a diner called The Sock Hop. Mary is very glad to have Brandon in the house, especially after losing her own son in a violent death.

SUTTON JAMES CHASE (20) - Sutton is Marion's golden boy. He played football in high school, top college student and president of his frat. He's a humble person and very loyal to the people in his life. However, his loyalty to others run deep and sometimes too far. There is a hidden side to Sutton that can be a bit frightening, if provoked. Sutton also has a huge crush on Brandon, but knows that Jackson likes him as well. Still, he's determined to prove he's the better choice.

So, those are some of my characters.

F**k Me Ray Bradbury is the BOMB!

This is cute

I wonder what other authors to remix this to:

• Stephen King
• Edward Lee
• Brandon Ford
• Richard Laymon
• Clive Barker
• Eric Arvin
  

This could be a fun project.

Also AICN scored a bonus by getting the real Ray B.'s reaction:

Ok - giggle... I love that somebody did this. Here's Ray Bradbury's reaction to watching FUCK ME RAY BRADBURY and Susan Gerbic-Forsyth, her friend Matt Edward showed it to him. This has serious ruleage in tow!

Classic

Who are the Writers of Torchwood season 4?

Get Excited!

This is a hot group of writers!

John Shiban ("Breaking Bad," "Supernatural," "The X-Files"), Doris Egan ("House," "Tru Calling," "Dark Angel'), Jane Espenson ("Game of Thrones," "Battlestar Galactica," "Buffy") and John Fay (a U.K. "Torchwood" writer).

And Russell T. Davies too.

This should be good!

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New (Book) Trailer: THE REST IS ILLUSION

This is from Super writer, Erin Arvin. Check it out

Why I think Joss Whedon is Directing and possibly Rewriting Marvel's scripts

Okay, so some folks are worried about Joss Whedon possibly rewriting The Avengers and Captain America movies.

I've seen different types of posts, claiming Cap will sound like Xander or the movie will be campy. But let's look at this carefully here.

WARNING this is my bias opinion, but it's still objective.

• Joss will/may be rewriting the scripts, but look at who wrote the original scripts... Zak Penn. This is the person who gave us Fantastic Four, Elektra (Good Lord) and the rotten lemon juice in my eyes, X-Men- The Last Stand. Y'all remember these horrors, they were true insults to the comics and the fans. I'm sure Marvel Studios realized this and knew if they wanted more street cred, Joss's pixie dust may save the day. Plus, Disney don't play! They have a big stake in this and I know they want the best. So, it's very understandable why Joss should be more hands on.

• Another reason is Joss's fan base. We are loyal to the death. We will follow him and his work, so if he rewrites and direct The Avengers, we are so there.

• Joss is a great story teller. This man is great at what he does and most of us know it.
  

• Another reason is choosing actors. Joss will not pick an actor or actress because they are overly hot. He will pick folks he trust and who are best for the part.

• Finally, I think he truly genuine about the overall process. It's not about the glamour or glitter, fashion or fame. It's about the story and that's the reason why I love Joss Whedon.

So, I know he will work his magic on the scripts and get the best work from the actors. If anyone can give us a great comic book movie, Joss can.

New Book Release: Simple Men

My buddy, Eric Arvin has a new book out!

It's called, Simple Men and here's the 411:

Chip Arnold is a well-liked football coach at a small liberal arts college, but his personal life is in a bit of a rut. He goes out drinking with his colleagues, gets along well with his players, and dates all the prettiest women in town—he has the life most straight men dream of. But lately none of the women he dates seem to be igniting any passion in him. Then he meets the new school chaplain, Foster Lewis.

Romantic attraction to another man is new and terrifying, and Chip just can't put his finger on why he's drawn to Foster, but it's stronger than anything he's felt for anyone in his life. Never one to back down from a challenge, Chip decides to go for it. But love is never simple, and sometimes it's a downright mess!

Sounds juicy and exciting! Eric always delivers the story, so check it out here and get it at Amazon, here

I read SUBSURDITY and...

If I'm not reading comics, blogs or Bear magazines, I'm reading horror novels. But I took a detour and read celebrated author and buddy, Eric Arvin's SUBSURDITY.

I loved this book!

Not because it's Eric, but his characters brings so much to the table. Each of them are not ordinary, but not crazily over the top. They are lovable, broken, complexed, sexy and troubled.

As I was reading the book, I fell in love the characters. I was curious to more about them. For example, Rick, I am so interested in his past with his ex. I wanted to know what he saw in Coby and what really kept him in that relationship.

James is also interesting. What was his life like in the army? What is his family like? Cassie Bloom and her son, Jason really intrigued me. I loved their troubled past and I want to know more about her husband ? Will his past come back to haunt Cassie? And what has Jason been up to?

I don't want to give anything away, so this is super vague. I want folks to get this book and read it! I really enjoyed the story, the peeps and the mysteries/drama surrounding Jasper Lane. I can see this as a TV series, exploring each characters' interesting lives.

And there so much more tell, Eric set this up for more stories and I'm happy to read them.

I know this was a weird review, but to break it down... I loved it and I'm loaning this book to the USC LGBT Student Resource Center. Hopefully, they will enjoy it as well.

To get this book and to learn more about the man (Eric) with the cute and innocent smile, go to his blog here.

Oh, Rick and Vera are my favorites, BTW!

Marvel Studios offer the Dream Job

If you are a writer and looking to fulfill a childhood (or adult) dream, Marvel has the event of a lifetime.

Marvel wants writers, in fact, 5 writers each year to work on some of their comic projects.

These writers will work on plot points and pitches about lesser-known heroes like Iron Fist, Black Panther, Cyclops' son, Cable, and Doctor Strange.

The idea behind this project is to get a fresh perspective of these characters. The writers will be paid very well and if successful, Marvel may continue a relationship with them.

This sounds like a fun gig. It could be stressful, but if you are willing to deal with it, then go for it.

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Interesting Quote: Alan Moore, creator of Watchmen

"To me, all creativity is magic. Ideas start out in the empty void of your head – and they end up as a material thing, like a book you can hold in your hand. That is the magical process. It's an alchemical thing. Yes, we do get the gold out of it but that's not the most important thing. It's the work itself. That's the reward. That's better than money."


Alan Moore on writing and creating...take heed Hollywood and remake/reboot folks.

Alan is writing GOD.

Joe the Plumber Writes a Book...

And his readers came to support him. About 11 of them.


I hope that doesn't happen to me.

Mixed emotions about Freddy and Jason

As we speak, there're folks working on a Nightmare on Elm Street remake, next chapter, or something of the sort. It seems the studios believe there's more money in Jason, Freddy, and other 70/80's killers, however I think it is a cop out.

I personally don't want more Freddy movies. I don't want him or the others to make a comeback. I know a lot of people do and I'm curious about the remakes; but I want something new, something that changes the game like they did in the 80s with Jason and 'em. There has been about 7 Freddy movies and too many Jason...what else can they do with them.

Instead of bringing them back, start up a new batch killers. I think there are so many stories to tell. I'm excited to see these movies, but it's time for some new stuff. On the web, there are very talented writers and creators that can move Horror to the next level. It's almost a shame to see the big hype about Horror movies is based from remakes, and nothing groundbreaking.

Let's send a message that we (lovers of Horror) want more. I'm trying to get into the Cinema school at USC in hopes to change the game. And I'm know there are up and coming Horror writers struggling to be heard. Studios, please give them a chance. Some of them could be the change we are looking for.

So to sum this up, I will see the remakes, but I'm not overly excited about them. I want new and fresh Horror stories. Bringing these classics back only make the genre stagnant. It's time to slash some new ground.

Anne Rice is a God fearing woman now

The woman who brought gays and vampires together is taking a new path in life. The Lord's path. Yes, Ms Rice has found God and she's quite happy about it.

In her memoir, "Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession," showcases her goal to become a true Christian writer.

Recently at her home in Cali-Cal, she said:

"To be able to take the tools, the apprenticeship, whatever I learned from being a vampire writer, or whatever I was -- to be able to take those tools now and put them in the service of God is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful opportunity. And I hope I can redeem myself in that way. I hope that the Lord will accept the books I am writing now."

The memoir follows the release of two books in a planned four-part, first-person chronicle of the life of Jesus.

And in this new 245-page memoir, Rice presents her former life as vampire writer as that of a soul-searching wanderer in the deserts of atheism; as someone akin to her most famous literary creations -- Lestat, her "dark search engine," Louis the aristocrat-turned-vampire and Egyptian Queen Akasha, "the mother of all vampires."

"I do think that those dark books were always talking about religion in their own way. They were talking about the grief for a lost faith," she said.

Rice returned to Christ in 2002, but this will be her true beginning as a Christian writer. I wish her luck and I will miss the Mayfair witches.

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