Avaliegh’s Amazing Adventures – Avaliegh learns about Imagination
Children’s poem/story on imagination
Performed by Val Cole
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Op: Mary Cox
Performed by Val Cole
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your short story about?
It’s about one hundred words. Well, not about: it’s one hundred words exactly.
2. What genres would you say this story is in?
Bad Kafka
3. How would you describe this story in two words?
Mortality Hornswoggled?
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
‘Psycho Ward Saloon’. A cult classic without the creepy sycophancy of cults.
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
‘(I’m A) Chew Toy In The Jaws Of Despair’ aka ‘The Love Theme From Psycho Ward Saloon’. If Colt Ramen’s mournful yodel after the final verse doesn’t bring you to tears, there is just no hope for you.
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
Do songs by Tom Waits count as audiobooks?
7. What motivated you to write this story?
An annual literary competition in the local newspaper. It took the cake. Now we have frosting. A scoop of ice cream and I’ll be all set.
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
I’ll let you know once my dad gets his results back from ancestry.com.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Defying long odds.
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
See: Defying long odds.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
That sounds like the makings of an exciting, high-priced webinar.
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Op: Mary Coxhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHu2MglG8RU
Performed by Val Cole
Author Website: http://www.stevie-turner-author.co.uk
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your short story about?
This short story is part of a novel to be published in July. It tells the tale of Gerrie Hermann, an 20 year old aspiring rock musician from South Africa, and Sophie Woods, a penniless naïve student from Manchester, England. Gerrie is from a rich diamond-merchant family and wants UK citizenship to further his musical career. He offers 19 year old Sophie 30,000 pounds if she would marry him. Sophie accepts the deal and both are prepared to go their separate ways after the wedding, but fall in love instead. Gerrie’s parents are furious with him and cut off his allowance. Sophie becomes pregnant, gives up her student place at University, and takes part time work in a supermarket to make ends meet.
When Gerrie’s band has the chance to support a famous rockstar, they have to find forty thousand pounds to fund their part of the tour. Gerrie has a plan, but the consequences of this plan are more far reaching for the couple than they ever would have thought, and unbeknown to them will affect both of them for the rest of their lives.
2. What genres would you say this story is in?
I would say Drama and Family Relationships primarily.
3. How would you describe this story in two words?
Women’s fiction.
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
Out of Africa.
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
Stairway to Heaven, by Led Zeppelin.
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
The Go-Between, by L.P Hartley.
7. What motivated you to write this story?
A guy I used to know wanted to stay in the UK and married an English girl. They are still together after 15 years, and so I think they fell in love!
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
William Wordsworth.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Rock music.
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
An unusual promotional opportunity.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
A one or two star review is just one person’s opinion of your work. Don’t let it affect you too much, as there are many others who will give it five stars.
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Operator: Mary Cox
Author website: http://www.lindavpalmer.com
Performed by Val Cole
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your novel about?
Mia Tagliaro was born with the ability to communicate with the dead, the reason her parents sent her to a weekend camp for kids with similar talents when she was just eight. With the help of seasoned psychics, she learned that she wasn’t a freak at all. There were lots of other people just like her, most especially a boy camper her age named TC, who got vibes from the living and the dead. By the end of their stay, Mia and TC had shared more than just secrets about their “sidekicks,” their nickname for psychic abilities. They shared a first kiss and a vow they’d never lose touch.
That was then. Now eighteen, Mia is quite comfortable in her skin and frequently passes along messages to the living from departed friends and family. She also helps the police with missing persons’ cases, loving the rush she gets when the lost are found. Though she hasn’t heard from her first crush, TC, for nearly a decade, Mia still thinks of him. So it’s quite a shock when they run into each other at a school dance. Tall, handsome, and athletic, TC, who calls himself Cooper now, seems just as amazing as she remembers. Then he tells her that his sidekicks deserted him years ago and actually uses the word “freak” when talking about them. Even worse, he lies when he says they can be friends again. Just when Mia is ready to give up on him, the ghost of Cooper’s dad begs her to try a little harder. But how can she reach a guy who not only thinks she’s weird, but deliberately keeps his distance?
2. What genres would you say this story is in?
YA/NA paranormal romance
3. How would you describe this story in two words?
Determined heroine
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
This changes from day to day. At the moment, it’s Divergent. I’m hooked on Tris and Four.
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
If Ed Sheeran opens his mouth to sing, that’s my newest favorite song.
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
Jane Eyre. I do love a good Gothic romance.
7. What motivated you to write this story?
A TV series about psychics. I began what iffing immediately.
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
Author Richelle Mead. Her Vampire Academy series is perfect, and that is very hard to do.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Music, books, movies, anything paranormal (but not scary).
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
I wanted to hear it read with enthusiasm and passion.
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Operator: Mary Cox
Performed by Val Cole
******
Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Op: Mary Cox
Performed by Val Cole
Get to know the writer:
1. What is your novel about?
It’s about a young prince who had no worldly experience, because his father was a paranoid recluse. Since you can’t rule a kingdom exclusively from behind a desk, things fell apart. Now he has to put it all back together.
2. What genres would you say this story is in?
This is mostly straight fiction with a slight religious tone. I call it Sword and Sorcery, but it’s more paranormal abilities than magic.
3. How would you describe this story in two words?
Good v Bad
4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?
Ooh that would be a coin toss between Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Avatar.
5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
I don’t listen to a lot of music, but my favorites are Simon and Garfunkel and Loreena McKennitt.
6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
That would be The Lord of the Rings.
7. What motivated you to write this story?
I just wanted to write something and this young prince came to mind. He of course would attain the crown, but it couldn’t be that easy. Hence the rest of the story.
8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
I think I might enjoy talking with Leonard Nimoy. I’d also like to discuss LTR with J. R. R. Tolkien.
9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Family of course comes next, but I also love gardening.
10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
I saw the add over on Crowdfire and thought I’d give it a try. It never hurts to try. If you don’t at least try, the result is always a fail.
11. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Always try. Always try to be better. Always be willing to learn. And always write what you love. They say write what you know, which is good advice, but if you love what you write, for sure someone else will love it too.
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Matthew Toffolo
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: Kimberly Villarruel
Camera Op: Mary Cox
Performed by Val Cole
Get to know the writer John Jeter:
What is your novel about?
A washed-out Defense Intelligence Agency operative and brilliant astrobiologist must join forces to recover the stolen Black Stone of Mecca before an evangelical madman unleashes Armageddon with the DNA he extracted from Islam’s most sacred icon.
What genres would you say this story is in?
Genre: Thriller
Subgenre: International Biogenetics/Spy Thriller
(Dan Brown meets Jurassic Park)
How would you describe this story in two words?
DNArmageddon
(Okay, one word.)
What movie have you seen the most in your life?
The Princess Bride (but this is about as far from that as we are from Pluto)
What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)
Badlands (Springsteen)
Do you have an all-time favorite novel?
Don Quixote
What motivated you to write this story?
A dream (seriously) about the Black Stone of Mecca being stolen, its DNA extracted, and the world ending.
If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
Abraham Lincoln
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Teaching, music, bicycling.
What influenced you to enter your story to get performed?
Learning that the novel had won a Wild Sound Festival award.
Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
Keep banging your head against the wall either until your head explodes or the wall comes down.
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson
Camera Operator: Mary Cox
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Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Director: Kierston Drier
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson
Camera Operator: Mary Cox
