Monthly Round-Up: October 2016

I'm a week late with the latest round-up, since it's now November.

OUT NOW

Nothing new out this month, but another plug for my two horror novels. SUFFER THE CHILDREN is available in all e-book formats from MuseItUp Publishing, and THE WHISPERING DEATH, with its fab new cover, is available in paperback and in Kindle format from Amazon (US and UK).

PUBLICITY

On the last day of October I had a guest spot on the fabulous Joan C Curtis's blog talking about the discipline required for writing.

And I did my final convention of the year in October as well - Bristol HorrorCon. This one-day Con celebrating all things horror has now been going for two years, and is great fun. I did a panel on Horrible Crime, where we discussed the crossover between crime and horror (and digressed a bit as well), and I did a reading as well.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Work continues on the fourth Shara Summers book, DEADLY SUMMER. Which was initially a working title but I think it works so I'm inclined to keep it. Still on the first draft though, so early days yet.

See you next time!

Imaginarium's First Screenplay Award

Those who've read this blog probably know that I'm a screenplay writer. Unproduced, mind you, and unoptioned, but hopefully that will change under my new agent.

Like many aspiring screenplay writers, I enter contests to get my name out there. Some I do well in. Others? Not so much.

This year was the first year Imaginarium offered a screenplay contest. Three of my four submissions finaled, including my short screenplay "Cemetery." It would later go on to win Best Short Screenplay at Imaginarium.

Currently, I don't have "Cemetery" entered in any other contests. There are a couple I'll probably enter it in before the end of 2016.

It's rather strange to be the first screenwriter, along with the feature-length winner, to win the first Imadjinn for a screenplay. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't an awesome feeling, too. To know that judges looked at our works and considered them worthy enough to not only final but to go on and win is something special. Now, that doesn't mean the screenplay will win all the time. Final Curtain finaled in another screenplay contest, but didn't win or even come in second. Sucks, but that's the way it is.

If you ask me why I write screenplays (or just write in general), I'll probably tell you it's because it's all I really know how to do, or that I need to do it. How do I decide what's going to be a novel and what's going to be a screenplay? Usually, I know right away. And it's not like I haven't adapted my books into screenplays and vice versa. Why not make them do double duty?