What I'm reading--and doing--this summer

I'm not finding much time to blog...Having taken on the job of producing our first film, Russel and I (and our director-producer partner David) have really learned a lot--it is like a film school education in bits and pieces. But not usually the piece you need when you need it.
I am still editing books, and have been busy planning for upcoming classes. The first class this fall will be at San Diego Writers, Ink on Sat Sept 8th from 1-4 pm.  Check out the class info here -- and, while you are there, check out the rest of SDWI's great website.
And of course later in September, there's the annual SCWC in Newport Beach...Another one is held in San Diego in February.
What I've been read lately--actually re-read--is John Rosenberg's great book on film editing, The Healthy Edit. So much great stuff to learn, for writers of film and TV scripts and, of course, for filmmakers, too. (It is NOT just for film editors)
Also been re-reading some Elizabeth Berg. Including a recent fave referred to me by Diane Shea, Berg's book on writing, Escaping into the Open: the Art of Writing True. Great stuff there...I'm going to bring it to my next writer's group meeting.

Big News: We're going to be filming a short version of our screenplay "El Camino" here in San Diego in mid-September...We have a great director, a superior camerawoman, and the crew just keeps getting better...More on that soon!

Three New Books for Spring

Okay, I'll start by saying that none of these books is a particularly cheery read...So if you're reading this post because you wanted New Books For Spring to mean sunny bunny books, you can stop reading now. It was simply that three recent books--published just weeks or months ago--inspired me to put together a short list of "must reads" for Spring. In no particular order, here they are:
Little Girl Gone by Drusilla Campbell. The taut, concise read shows what a master of prose Campbell is--she gives us a young woman courageously questioning her life choices, an even younger boy embroiled but not paralyzed by grief, and a supporting cast of characters that run the gamut of motive and type. Amazingly, these people are all fully realized on the pages, as are her Southern California settings...if you live, or have lived in San Diego, you'll find it even more intriguing, but either way, you won't want to put it down. Check out her site here.
Black and White, by Wes Albers, is also set in San Diego, and also explores a modern exploration of the human condition, but there the resemblance ends. This book is a no-hold-barred tale of life and work (often the same thing) on the streets for a "regular cop" driving a black-and-white patrol car.  The title has at least one other meaning but I'll leave that to you to discover. Wes Albers, a veteran cop himself, writes like you know they talk--even if you don't know. The story of this man's inner life colliding with his hard-won persona really hit home for me. Black and White is available from booksellers, and on Amazon--and the Kindle edition is, at the time of this writing, available for only ninety-nine cents!
And, last but definitely not least, Tincture of Time, by John Rosenberg...This book will keep you up nights, if you are silly enough to start reading it in bed...But it would be equally compelling by the pool or at the beach. If you like stories with exotic settings, passionate and obsessed people, and wildly fantastic but somehow believable events, you'll love Tincture of Time.
In the interests of full disclosure, I have to say I was involved with this book from early on--I heard John give an superb pitch for this book (a medical thriller set in Brazil) in a pitch class I was giving at SCWC a few years ago, and immediately wanted to read it. I introduced him to an agent friend and the usual circuitous path to publication followed...The book is out now, though not yet available on Kindle, and I highly recommend it.
hasta pronto!

Hollywood Top Five Reading List

Received a copy of a new Hollywood classic for my birthday: The Healthy Edit, by my friend John Rosenberg. The subtitle is Creative Editing Techniques for Perfecting Your Movie...
Since we're currently staying in a house "high in the Hollywood Hills" while developing some film projects, I dove straight into it. I've been reading it carefully and making notes, so I'm only a little ways into it, but I can already say with confidence that this is a book every filmmaker and film student should read. (That film editors and aspiring film editors should own it probably goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway.)
John is a brilliant film editor and has a real gift for explaining complicated ideas and theories in a way that's entertaining, clear, and concise. (He's also a fine fiction writer and I'll alert you when his upcoming novel "Tincture of Time" comes out.)
Here are four other Hollywood books I recommend--the last one, "Haywire," I also got as a gift last week. They are all memoirs, and all feature great writing and some sort of historic importance.
Harpo Speaks by Harpo Marx and a co-writer...
Julia Phillips' You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again
Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman
And last but not least, Haywire by Brooke Hayward. This is a new paperback edition (2010) of a book I had remembered loving long ago, and yes, it is as good as I remembered. Of course, the subject matter is once again, angst and the sins of our fathers (and mothers) and how drugs and drink were one's only allies in the war to keep from screaming aloud every minute of every day.
However, she is a fine writer, and the times and the bizarre cast of characters, both known and unknown, are truly fascinating.
hasta pronto!