Saturday, October 14, 2017

Screenwriter Robert Gosnell ~ It's What You Don't Write

Multi-produced screenwriter Robert Gosnell brings us his wisdom 
from the trenches (err...office) of a working screenwriter.

It's What You Don't Write

White space.

If you've attempted to market a screenplay lately, you have no doubt encountered that term. Its meaning is simple. When a Hollywood executive, producer, studio reader or agent fans through the pages of your screenplay, that is what they want to see. White space.

Meaning, nothing. Lots of nothing.

The fewer words required to tell your story, the better. Perhaps, to them, it indicates a writer who is concise, requiring fewer words to express an image. Maybe, it tells them that this writer understands rhythm in the telling of a story. Or, maybe, it's what I've always suspected.

They hate to read.

On the one hand, I get it. These folks are inundated with screenplays, all the time. White space means less to read, and a faster read makes their job easier.

On the other hand, it is their job, isn't it? Are they really going to pass on the next great screenplay, because it doesn't have enough white space?

Did the screenplay for "Gone With The Wind" have a lot of white space? Doubtful. That must have been one hell of a tough read. It's fortunate they didn't know about white space in 1939.

At any rate, every time I hear the term "white space," I think of Robert Riskin. Well, doesn't everyone?

No? Okay, let me explain.

Robert Riskin was a screenwriter, business partner and frequent collaborator with legendary director Frank Capra. In fact, Riskin received five Academy Award nominations for screenplays of Capra directed films, including "It Happened One Night," "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town" and "You Can't Take It With You."

But, their relationship was, at times, rocky. When Life Magazine put Capra on their cover, with the caption, "The Capra Touch," Riskin was insulted, feeling that Frank was taking too much credit for much of what he, Riskin, had done.

As the story goes, it came to a head on the set of "Meet John Doe," when Riskin handed Capra, neatly bound in screenplay form, 120 blank pages.

"Here you go, Frank," Riskin reportedly said, "put your touch on that."

I can only hope Capra was pleased. After all, that's a lot of white space.
~ Robert


"The Blue Collar Screenwriter and The Elements of Screenplay" is currently available at:
Amazon digital and paperback
Find Robert at:
Website (with information on classes)
Email





BIO: 
A  professional screenwriter for more than thirty years,  Robert Gosnell has produced credits in feature films, network television, syndicated television, basic cable and pay cable, and is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of Canada.

Robert began his career writing situation comedy as a staff writer for the ABC series Baby Makes Five.  As a freelance writer, he wrote episodes for Too Close for Comfort and the TBS comedies Safe at Home andRocky Road.  In cable, he has scripted numerous projects for the Disney Channel, including Just Perfect, a Disney Channel movie featuring  Jennie Garth. In 1998, he wrote the  Showtime original movie, Escape from Wildcat Canyon, which starred Dennis Weaver and won the national "Parents Choice Award." Robert's feature credits include the Chuck Norris/Louis Gosset Jr. film Firewalker, an uncredited rewrite on the motion picture Number One With A Bullet starring Robert Carradine and Billy Dee Williams, and the sale of his original screenplay Kick And Kick Back to Cannon Films. Robert was also selected as a judge for the 1990 Cable Ace Awards, in the Comedy Special category.

In 1990, Robert left Hollywood for Denver, where he became active in the local independent film community. His screenplay Tiger Street was produced by the Pagoda Group of Denver and premiered on Showtime Extreme in August of 2003. In 1999, Denver’s Inferno Films produced the action film Dragon and the Hawk from his script. In 2001, Robert co-wrote the screenplay for the independent feature Siren for Las Vegas company Stage Left Productions. His feature script Juncture was produced by Front Range Films in March of 2006. 

Robert  is a principal member of the Denver production company "Conspiracy Films." He is frequently an invited speaker for local writers organizations,  served on the faculty of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Conference in 2002, and in 2007 was chosen to participate as a panelist for the Aspen Film Festival Short Screenplay Contest. Robert regularly presents his screenwriting class "The Elements of Screenplay," along with advanced classes and workshops, in the Denver area.

Additionally, he is a frequent contributor to this blog. 





Friday, October 13, 2017

Author Spotlight Featuring Robin Michaela's New Release ~ Baby, That's The Spirit!

It is always so much fun to bring a new author to you and me!  
Please welcome Robin Michaela and her latest book, Baby, That's The Spirit!

Thanks for hosting me, L. A. Happy Friday, the 13th!  Fun fact: did you know the term for the fear of Friday, the 13th is paraskevidekatriaphobia?

I thought this was a perfect day to talk about my new release, Baby, That's The Spirit!, because of its Halloween-related theme. The heroine, Amethyst, is a clairvoyant who can see and speak with the dead. Of course, the hero, Adam, thinks her “gift” is a load of bull (to put it mildly).

I wanted to write a book set in autumn because it’s one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything about the season – from the corn mazes, to the apple picking, to the fall festivals and the crisp snap to the air. The fact that Halloween happens in the autumn just sweetens it all the more. It’s always fun to see the neighborhood kids in costume and to dress up for Halloween parties. I love any excuse to explore an alternate personality!

As you know, Friday, the 13th is full of superstition. It is thought to be unlucky, as are black cats. In fact, my character, Amethyst, has a black cat named Boo, who makes appearances throughout the book. Her cat is based on my own furry, black feline, also named Boo. Trust me, having a black cat cross your path at least a dozen times a day keeps you from being superstitious.

If you’re still worried about your luck today, though, knock on wood, throw salt over your left shoulder, or cross your fingers to ward off evil. Then, sit back and enjoy Baby, That's The Spirit!

Excerpt:
Not wanting to startle her, he called out a greeting when he got closer. “Good morning. I see you’re getting a head start on the decorations for the Sweetness Spooktacular.”
She turned to face him. Her full lips curved in a warm smile as she raised a slim hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the morning sun. “Yeah, I’m an early riser. I was here yesterday when they marked the grounds for the vendors and finished dropping off supplies. Since I’m one of the volunteers, I figured I'd go ahead and get started."
She shrugged as she extended her hand in greeting. The movement caused her sweater to slide off one shoulder, revealing smooth, tanned flesh just begging to be touched.
He concentrated on aiming for her hand when he really wanted to run his fingers over her tempting skin. "Adam Burkett. I own this property.”
“Starla-Amethyst Raines," she said. "Although everyone just calls me Amethyst unless they’re really angry at me.”
A tingle ran up his arm when their hands connected. She was tall and he felt a quick stirring south of his belt buckle when the light autumn breeze plastered her long-sleeved, gauzy violet blouse against her luscious curves.
Damn, but she wore a lot of purple. He raised a brow, wondering if she felt obligated to live up to her name. Her short dark hair was liberally streaked in shades of purple and lavender. Dangly silver and lilac earrings winked at him as she tilted her head to one side and regarded him through the most mesmerizing whisky-colored eyes he’d ever seen. Her gaze was direct and seemed to bore deep inside him, almost down to his very soul.
Adam didn’t realize he was staring until she tugged her hand free of his. Pushing a windblown lock of hair off her forehead, she laughed. “I know, I know, too much purple. But, really, what other color can you work with when your parents name you Amethyst?”
“That isn’t what I was thinking at all,” he answered, but guilt flashed through him because it was exactly what he’d been thinking. Hell, she even smelled purple, with her light floral scent that reminded him of lilacs in the springtime. If a color could be defined by a person, this woman’s picture would definitely be listed under “purple” in the dictionary.
Suddenly remembering that she’d looked as if she’d been conversing with someone, he leaned around her, searching the shadows of the porch beyond the fake cemetery with his eyes. "Who were you talking to a second ago?”
"What makes you think I was talking to anyone?” She dropped her gaze to a nearby tombstone, making him wonder if she was hiding something.
“It sure looked like you were.”
“Well, do you see anyone else around?” She put a fist on each hip and frowned at him.
“No, I don’t,” he grudgingly admitted. “Unless you were talking to one of the ghosts down here.” He smirked and nudged a tilting headstone with a booted foot until it stood up straight.
Amethyst's brows drew together. “Who knows? Maybe I was.”

Blurb:
When free-spirited clairvoyant, Amethyst Raines, comes to Sweetness to tell fortunes at the fall festival, she crosses circuits with hunky electrical contractor, Adam Burkett. While she’s drawn to him, she has no intention of getting involved with the sexy single dad. The problem is, she has a message for him from beyond the grave…and, she’d deliver it, if she could just get the infuriating man to believe she can speak with the dead.

Cynical skeptic Adam is tired of deceitful women. All he wants to do is finish out his job contract and settle his beloved grandmother’s estate before saying good-bye to Sweetness forever. And, he’s definitely not going to be tempted by a woman who claims she can talk to spirits. But when his little girl goes missing, Adam will do anything to find her, including putting his faith in the seductive medium he can’t seem to resist.

She’s trying to solve a century-old secret; he’s trying to find his daughter. If they can work together, their relationship just might stand a ghost of a chance.

Buy: 
`
Bio:

Robin Michaela has been reading romances since her teen years, when she first snuck her aunt’s copy of The Flame and the Flower, by Kathleen Woodiwiss.
She’s married to her own Handsome Prince (a military airman) and has lived everywhere from the sunny shores of Florida to the wild crags of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She currently resides in the Deep South. By day, she’s a dental hygienist and by night, Robin can be found eating chocolate, training for her next half marathon, and crafting her next novel (although not necessarily in that order).

Robin’s stories have been called “a simply delicious escape”. Sparks fly and desire sizzles when her irresistible heroines challenge the men of their dreams.

Find Robin who loves to hear from readers:
Website | Facebook  | Twitter   




Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Author Spotlight Featuring Jill Haymaker's Colorado Summer Stars


Jill Haymaker has started a new chapter in her life, writing full time. 
Please read on about her latest, Colorado Summer Stars. 

Leslie, Thanks for having you on your blog today. My new release, Colorado Summer Stars in the seventh book in my Peakview Series. These stories are set in the small, fictional town of Peakview, Colorado high in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, and focus on second chances in life. Although Peakview is a product of my imagination, it is based on many small mountains towns that I have experienced. Although I no longer reside in Colorado, my heart remains in the mountains.

I have always wanted to write a story about how one recovers from the horror of a relationship gone totally wrong. How does someone learn to trust again after their trust has been shattered? In Colorado Summer Stars we follow Nicole on one such journey. Her faith in men has been destroyed, but a handsome cowboy may turn everything around. It is never too late to find love.

Excerpt:  
CHAPTER ONE 

“If you think for one minute I didn’t see you flirting with those guys at table seven, you’re dead wrong.” Dave glared at her. Nicole Phillips slammed her tray of dirty glasses onto the large wooden bar so hard that the glasses clinked together and ice cubes jumped out like fish escaping from an aquarium. What would it take for him to trust her? Obviously, not five years of her undying loyalty. She’d never screwed around on him. Not even once. Never even considered it. And he didn’t know that, how?

She grabbed a bleach-filled rag and stomped away to clean off the now-empty tables. Wendy glanced over at her. “Don’t worry about it. He’s been drinking all night. He’ll probably forget what he said when he sobers up.”

Easy for her to say. She wasn’t the one living with Dave. Not the one he was supposed to love. She walked to the bar, and he turned his back to her like she didn’t exist. Was that supposed to hurt her even more? Even more than embarrassing her in front of all their friends and co-workers? She took off her apron and sat down beside Wendy to count her money. It has been a long night.

“You guys coming out to breakfast with us?” Wendy asked.

“I’m in.” Nicole had no desire to rush home to be alone with Dave.

“Dave?”

He turned to Wendy, still ignoring her. “I’ll pass. Not in the mood.”

“Fine. Suit yourself.” Nicole stood up to walk next door to the all-night diner with several of the staff.

Dave grabbed her arm. “If you’re meeting up with him, don’t bother coming home.”

She jerked away. “Meeting up with who? Will you get over it.”

“Did you give him your number?” He glared at her again.

She’d had enough. “Yeah, and our address, too. You can expect that he’ll be stopping by later.” She stormed out the front door into the cool evening.

“Hey, wait up,” Wendy called. “You know how he gets. Don’t let him upset you. He’ll sleep it off.”

“I know.” Nicole’s heart deflated. This wasn’t the life she dreamed of. Not even close. At 2:30 a.m. the breeze off the ocean in San Francisco sent a damp chill through her body. She ran the rest of the way to the diner. Maybe after a big breakfast she’d feel better.

It was almost 4:00 when she parked in front of the brownstone row house where she lived with Dave and two other couples. The rents were much too high in the city to get a place of their own. She liked it well enough. It was in walking distance of many small shops and restaurants. The vibrancy of the city had excited her when she’d arrived from Colorado. Now, she wasn’t sure.

She made her way up the narrow staircase that led to their third-story bedroom. She tiptoed into the room, hoping to slip into bed without awaking Dave.

“Have fun?” His voice boomed from the dark bed.



Blurb: 
How did her relationship go so wrong? When NICOLE PHILLIPS flees San Francisco after her boyfriend’s jealousy turns violent, she doesn’t know where to go next. Out of a job and a place to live, she heads to the only place she feels safe—her childhood home in the tiny town of Peakview, nestled high in the Colorado Rockies. The one place she’d sworn to never live again.

RICK BRADY was a skinny, nerdy kid, earning him the not-so-flattering nickname of Scarecrow in high school. He’d been glad to escape his reputation and leave Peakview behind. When his parents’ health begins to fail, he returns to Peakview and opens his own veterinarian practice on their ranch. He’s never really been in love, unless you count that crush he had on the most popular girl in school from kindergarten through senior year.

Now fifteen years after they both left town, they are back home and searching for answers to questions they can’t define. Beneath the beauty of the Colorado summer stars, they reconnect. They soon discover that it’s not easy to leave the past behind. To move forward and find true love, they must overcome their insecurities and doubts and learn to trust again.

Come home to Peakview, Colorado where everyone has a chance at love.


Buy:
Amazon

Bio:
Jill Haymaker was born and raised in Indiana and Ohio. After high school, she attended Bowling Green State University before moving to Fort Collins, Colorado. Ms. Haymaker made her home in Fort Collins until her recent move to East Texas. She practiced family law in Fort Collins for the past 20 years. She has three grown children, a son and two daughters. She also has three granddaughters.

Jill has always had a passion for writing. Colorado Sunset was her first full-length romance novel in her Peakview, Colorado series. Her latest book, Colorado Summer Stars is the seventh book in the series. If you love small town romance, you will love the characters in this series. She also has had several short stories published by Chicken Soup for the Soul, the most recent in the book Random Acts of Kindness.

When not practicing law or writing, Jill enjoys The Colorado mountains, horseback riding, gardening, long walks with her Shetland Sheepdog, Laddie, and spending time with her children and grandchildren. She enjoys their numerous sporting events. She is also an avid football fan and can be found on autumn weekends cheering on her favorite teams. She has a passion for working with high school youth- she is a youth group leader at her church, coaches a high school mock trial team and is a volunteer at cross country and track meets.

Find Jill:
Email |Website & Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads