Monthly Festival : Turn your book into a movie and get it seen by 1000s of people. Or garner FULL FEEDBACK from publishers on your novel and help your next draft. Or get a transcript video of your novel performed by professional actors.
A young man named Astinos, his wife stolen and a prophecy on his shoulders, must find his strength in order to fight through not only a host of invaders that hail from darkness, but also the demons that are his doubts. He struggles to make sense of it, the inklings of truth that hide beneath the veneer of this battle of Light vs Darkness.
2. What genres would you say this story is in?
Adventure, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Survival
3. How would you describe this story in two words?
Deep Complexity
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
Rush Hour (I used watch it with my dad a lot)
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
People Live Here By Rise Against
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
No; I’m usually disappointed with the Fantasy books I read (Bad luck maybe…).
7. What motivated you to write this story?
When I was 7 I started imagining a lot, and came up with what is now the story I’m writing. It’s changed a lot, obviously, but that’s just because it has never stopped growing since then. Now it’s grown into a series I’m planning. I don’t think I could ever write another series I’d love more, and so this first book is very special. But as for what actually got me to start typing it up, the short version is that I got a crush on this famous girl, and I was hoping writing it would get me a shot at her, but eventually, like my story, my motivation to keep improving grew. Now I’d say my motivation is wanting to do something positive with writing, both through inspiring people with it, and hopefully helping people through the money I make, if in fact I make any money from this book, and the others that follow it.
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
James Joyce. I think two writers with an overwhelming ‘God Complex” would have some interesting, albeit heated, conversations.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
I like thinking about what I’d do if my writing took off. I’d like to help new writers, teach them to be freer with their idea of how to write a novel. And as I stated earlier, I would also like to help people.
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
I wanted exposure. I need all I can get, as I’m terrible at advertising myself. So when I saw this, I figured I’d give it a shot.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
When you write, don’t think of what you are supposed to do, but rather, let your writing flow out in a way that best suits the story you are trying to tell. And also, try not to emulate other authors too much; if there are any authors you particular like, just try to write with the same type of spirit that they do, think of how they approach it, and use that as the foundation to begin your own. Lastly, don’t be afraid to try putting in something that seems strange or out of place in your genre, or novels in general; I think books, and life in general, would be more interesting if more people did ‘strange things,’ as there would be so much more variety to enjoy.
Ghetto Bastard is a story of survival. Malik was born into these circumstances–with no father to teach him how to be a man, and to a mother who didn’t want him. Malik must navigate his way to adulthood with only the streets as his guide–through the seventies heroin infestation, the eighties crack rage, and the nineties Clinton mass incarceration era, and AIDS epidemic.
Once he becomes a man, his vision broadens, but will it be enough to abandon the very ghetto that created him?
Ghetto Bastard is the intimate journey of an innocent child in search of love and self-worth. He just wants what we all want. And Malik Russell wasn’t born with any ‘quit’, so he’s got that going for him, but neither was his opponent: the ghetto.
2. What genres would you say this story is in?
Memoir and Biography.
3. How would you describe this story in two words?
Hard, truthful.
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
Across 110th Street.
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
The Greatest Love of All by George Benson.
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly.
7. What motivated you to write this story?
My life and great grandmother has been the inspiration for my work.
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
My great grandfather because he passed away without me knowing him.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Protecting and advocating for societies devalued people.
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
I was influenced to enter to get my story performed because the written word that becomes the spoken word is a treasure to the blind. I wanted my work to be enjoyed by all people who wish to enjoy it.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Don’t be afraid because fear will prevent you from maximizing your full potential.
A chance meeting between a middle-aged woman, a widower, and a semi-orphaned child in the city of Zurich, Switzerland, brings together three people who grapple with a past of loss and betrayal. Six-year-old Karla, whose mother died in a car crash, has a hard time accepting the loss. Anna, her aunt and guardian, struggles with her former husband’s deception and her shattered confidence in men, and Jonas, artist and teacher, mourns the death of his wife.
While trying to help Karla, a talented but troubled child, Anna and Jonas develop feelings for each other that go beyond friendship. The budding romance, however, hits a snag when Anna discovers a sinister secret in Jonas’s past. While the two adults have come to an impasse, young Karla takes matters into her own hands. Together with a friend, she develops a plan to bring the two uncooperative adults back together. The plan, however, creates havoc and as it begins to unravel, Karla is forced to learn some difficult lessons.
An Uncommon Family is a story about loss, lies, and betrayal but also about the healing power of love and forgiveness. It takes place in Switzerland, New York City, and Guadalajara, Mexico.
Performed by Elizabeth Rose Morriss
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your novel about?
An Uncommon Family (Family Portrait, Book One): Three people with a troubled past meet in Zurich, Switzerland. Six-year-old Karla longs for her dead mother. Anna struggles with her former husband’s deception, and Jonas mourns the death of his wife. While caring for little Karla, Anna and Jonas fall in love but sinister events in their past threaten their budding romance.
AN UNCOMMON FAMILY is a story about loss, lies, and betrayal but also about the healing power of love and forgiveness. It takes place in Switzerland, New York City, and Guadalajara, Mexico.
2. What genres would you say this story is in?
Family Drama with a touch of romance
3. How would you describe this story in two words?
Poignant and hopeful
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
Midnight in Paris
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the
most times in your life?)
All songs by Leonard Cohen
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
Too many to list: Novels by Louise Penny, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Ann Patchett, Joanne Harris, Virginia Woolf etc. etc. etc.
7. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would
that be?
Leonard Cohen
8. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Reading, traveling, walking, a good meal and a glass of red wine
9. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
Curiosity
10. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Just write, don’t worry too much about the product, instead enjoy the process.
Logline: Eenie, Meanie, Minie, No! is a romantic suspense in which a terrified but determined high school teacher is pitted against a killer intent on eliminating the members of her clique in high school and framing her for their deaths.
1. What is your novel about? Eanie, Meanie, Minie, No! is about a woman overcoming past fears to save a friend and reclaim love.
2. What genres would you say this story is in? Romance, suspense, and thriller. There is a reunion with an old boyfriend, someone stalking the heroine, and a psychological bent to the antagonist.
3. How would you describe this story in two words? Romantic Thriller
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life? I’d have to say all of the Lord of the Rings trilogy movies because my husband is a huge fan and we watch them every Christmas break. However, I’m a huge fan of The Holiday, all the Jason Borne movies, and Dirty Dancing. In other words, my tastes are all over the board.
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?) Believe it or not, Amazing Grace. My faith is important to me and this song says it all, the good, the bad, and the forgiven.
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel? I don’t really have an all-time favorite. It’s usually whatever I’m reading or writing at the time.
7. What motivated you to write this story? That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? To be honest, I seem to remember being with a group of writers discussing what motivated each other to write and nursery rhymes popped into my head. As I drove home, the image of children using this rhyme to pick sides came to me and the negative aspects of what it could mean. After that, my insane imagination went crazy.
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be? My great grandmother. I loved listening to her tell stories about her life.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Sewing, knitting, crochet. I love creating things.
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed? I wanted to hear it through someone else’s voice. Elizabeth Rose Morriss did an amazing job.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers? While we all need constructive criticism to make our work the best it can be, DON’T let anyone’s comments stop you from writing. There are many wonderful readers out there who will give you the input you need to tweak something. Unfortunately, there are also many who live to put other people down. Those are the ones you smile, say thank you for the comment, and walk away. If the comment, despite being phrased in a mean spirit, has merit, work with it. If it doesn’t, let it go and move on. Whatever you do, write. The more you do, the better you will become.
