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The New American Western series is currently riding high in the saddle in two categories on Smashwords.com Two short stories (Tumbleweeds and No. 3) both number one and number two in the Best Selling and Most Downloaded categories for Westerns.     Drift. A short story about how one woman's despair turns into a sublime experience. Drift is a short story that is perched at the top of three categories on Smashwords. Drift is currently the Most Downloaded, Best Selling, and Trending story in its genre. Drift is about a woman who explores a romance with someone who takes her away from the cold and lonely life she has been encased in. Her initial reluctance to experience something that might fill her with hope and companionship hinges on her realization that nobody has to know about what she is doing. Drift highlights the poisonous interaction of technology in people's lives and that if we can free ourselves from its invisible tether, we might be able to experience something real by connecting with someone on a personal level. Hope can be dangerous, but for Cari McNeal, it equals discovery and romance. The Smithsonian Photo Contest is well established and receives over 25,000 entries each year, so to have the only two pictures I submitted approved to be in the competition is very honoring. The pictures are in two different categories: The American Experience and Artistic. This was my first time entering the contest, so click on pictures to learn about the photos and the contest. I wasn't in dialogue with Nicole Kidman, but there are several scenes in which I am "there." The movie "Holland, Michigan." is now in post-production and time will tell if #1 Dad *ahem* (that was my role) will be left to meander with his kids and wife-that disappeared toward the end of one evening-and I was with a different wife on the observation deck of the De Zwaan Windmill at Sunset taking pictures of her. If the scenes remain, I will be able to explain and point out the changes once the movie is released. Thanks to Jenny Alison for the opportunity to be a part of something that was very special and truly a great experience. Tumbleweeds is galloping its way into the Top Ten in the most downloaded category for Western Fiction. It (and "Pony Beads") are in the top 5 for highly rated.
Tumbleweeds is about a woman catches the attention of a cowboy, but she isn't very receptive to him and has ignored every man that has approached her in the wild saloon she's in. The cowboy walks outside to think about what's going on with this solitary woman. After leaving town under the billowing glow of a full moon, the cowboy stops for a moment on a low bluff. in the desert. He suspects that he's being followed and is surprised to see who it is. Under the wistful influence of a full Moon, the moment catches him off guard as he faces temptation from the very woman that didn't seem the least bit interested in him, or anyone. Finding Amelia. A short story based on the award-winning screenplay. "Finding Amelia" highlights key events in Amelia Earhart's life that helped to make her a person the public loved and admired especially after she went missing from a mysterious flight that would’ve culminated in her crowning achievement as an aviator. “Finding Amelia” Amelia Earhart gives a possible solution and unique conclusion regarding Amelia Earhart's fate when an Australian bush pilot (Roger Danvill) discovers Amelia while making a delivery to the remote island she’s been on since her plane crashed into its rocky shoreline. Roger wants to take Amelia back to the fame of her former life, but Amelia makes him promise to keep her disappearance a secret.
"Soaked" is a feature length dark comedy screenplay about Stephen Muddle. A middle-aged man who is recently divorced and has an extreme run of bad luck and horrible circumstances that lead him into unfortunate encounters with people from all walks of life, but when it all finally seems to be concluding and Stephen's cursed life is given the hope of justification, one final blow seems to appear on the horizon as he lays in a hospital bed after recuperating from his long bout with a demonic fate. Soaked previously earned a nomination as a Finalist at the prestigious Moondance International Film Festival as well as achieving recognition in several other competitions in the U.S. and London. "Finding Amelia" is a feature length script that gives a unique perspective into Amelia Earhart's disappearance.
The script has earned recognition around the world for it's blended story telling that mixes a personal narrative within a colorfully intertwined fictional tale, and gives the audience an experience of Amelia's life before and after her disappearance from the public eye. Amelia Earhart's life was far from ordinary, but it's because she was such an extraordinary person. The script reflects the aspects of Amelia Earhart's personality and gives a thoughtful suggestion that maybe she had planned something to escape the life she struggled with as a celebrity, and, as well as a person with a debilitating illness. The short story is adapted from the script which uses key aspects of the script in a much more condensed version.  What happens when a retired porn star, a trust fund brat, a yuppy and a hardcore hippy chick meet? They become best friends and travel together along the California and Oregon coastline. They refer to themselves as "Surf Nachos" because they are cheesy and spicy, but always stick together.
It's not something they eat; it's something they are. Surf Nachos.  Barbie is a bad Girl.
She's had enough of being the epitome of perfection and although "she's the perfect girl living in the perfect world" Barbie is tired of it. This short story is about Barbie's plan to kidnap Ken by recruiting G.I. Joe to help her (okay, blackmail) Ken into stealing the original plans & mold from which Barbie was designed. She wants to destroy the mold, and force Ken to create something new so that current and future generations of young women will have a more realistic standard to live with. This story is very tongue in cheek, and features some adult situations that tease and hopefully make the reader laugh. There is an element of sister rivalry in this twisted, dirty little tale of revenge: Barbie's sister Skipper appears, and Barbie's true feelings about her sister are revealed.   "New American Western" Is the winner in The Western Category for the 2019 I.P.A (Independent Press Award) in New York.
Sit back and poke at the fire while these cowboys and miners re-tell their stories of cagey women, crazy situations, and tricky encounters with all of the characters of the Old West that made it what it was: Wild. New American Western is the new frontier in Western story telling, and creates its own standard with stories that are woven with a personal perspective. It's not about women needing to be rescued, or damsels falling in love with their Indian captors. The women in the New American stories don't need help ,but they do need to be approached with apprehension. The women are dangerous, and the men that were fortunate enough to live another day have a few stories tell. Drinking, fighting and dancing. It's all in here. Ride safe cowboy.  "Carried Away" is in the Top 5 in the category of Christian Romance, and it's also the third most downloaded book in Fiction (Young Adult/Teen-Chic-Lit), so it has gained appeal in two different categories which isn't an easy task for any story.
The short summary for "Carried Away": Every rebel has a cause, and Carrie's is to escape her strict religious upbringing. She runs away after her eighteenth birthday to chase her dream of being a famous actress, but she eventually learns that her dreams collide with reality and she's left with only one decision: to return to the life she ran away from. Click ont the cover to be taken directly to the story.  The Award winning script landed in the Top Ten in Australia's well respected Colortape International Film festival. The script, which is featured on page six in the magazine highlights the components of the script which has made it so popular and unique.
Colortape magazine is distributed to filmmakers in Australia as well as Internationally which is invaluable to increasing the script's presence and ability to draw attention to one of the greatest and intriguing aviation mysteries that continues to capture peoples interest around the world. Click on the following link to read about the script: www.colortapeinternational.com/magazine.pdf
 "Tumbleweeds" was selected by the editors of Frontier Tales Magazine which features only the best Western authors. They are very selective about what they publish and have very strict submission guidelines. "Tumbleweeds" is part of the New American Western collection of short stories that often feature women as the lead character. This particular story is about a woman that catches the attention of a cowboy, but she isn't very receptive and has ignored every single man that has approached her in the wild and loud saloon they're in. The cowboy walks outside to think about what's going on with this solitary woman. It's not to long after that when he faces temptation from the very woman that didn't seem the least bit interested in anyone. This is the second time a story from "New American Western" has been chosen to be in a magazine that features Western authors. The first story was "No.3" which was featured in The Bullpen section on Rope and Wire.com links are provided for the two stories: "Tumbleweeds": www.frontiertales.com/2017/03Mar/tumbleweeds.php "No.3": www.ropeandwire.com/western-short-story-no-3.html    A comedy about a husband and wife (Herb and Angela) that go out for dinner, but when the doldrums of marriage seep in and Angela begins to daydream about an Astronaut that passes by them in his exotic space car, she sees what her life may have been like compared to the one she has with Herb. This is the second nomination for this script. "You'd Prefer An Astronaut also was a Semi-Finalist at the Los Angeles CineFest in 2017
 New American Western- Which is a collection of short stories, has earned it's first major award in Los Angeles.
This is the first edition of the popular collection of stories, and is currently being published by Outlaws Publishing in Texas. Each story gives the curious, (and daring) reader an experience that introduces cantankerous men and sultry women which contributed to giving the reputation the Old West has never lived down: The drinking, dancing and gun-slinging lifestyle often encountered in a different era is given a new twist by introducing female characters that aren't simple objects of a man's desire, need to be rescued, chase after bare chested cowboys, or seeking romance with Indians. The writing accomplishes two things simultaneously: 'Unique and Inventive' because each story has different characters and situations. The way the stories are told give the reader an opportunity to experience the situations from a personal point of view  The feature length script about Amelia Earhart's disappearance has earned one of the most coveted awards in Europe: Best Unproduced Script. This achievement was announced during Film Fest International in Madrid, Spain (on July 16th, 2017) Having this distinction gives the script a marketable presence before being turned into a full length movie.
The following link can be used to view the announcement: filmfestinternational.com/madrid-iff-2017-full-winners-list/ "Finding Amelia" has earned numerous awards in the U.S., Europe, Australia and South America due to it's unique approach in telling Amelia Earhart's story by using an in-paralleled method to highlight key elements in her life that are woven together with poetic, colorful scene descriptions and uses a personal point of view to let the story unfold with an influential premise. There is a short story available (for free) that uses the same style and premise that is gaining more awareness of what may have happened to her. It can be found here: www.smashwords.com/books/view/595114 With this latest recognition, it should be only a matter of time before the script can be produced and turned into a compelling, and engaging movie that would capture the imagination of audiences worldwide with it's artfully developed passages, and deeply poignant conversations between Amelia Earhart and the one person that found her, but never told where she was.  (April 22, 2017) Winner of best Action/Adventure for a screenplay under 20 pages at N.O.V.A, International Film Festival. The screenplay that's based on three Americans that had to become "Mules" for a drug dealer in order to get back home, but were caught by the Mexican authorities for being drug runners and then thrown into prison. They literally dug their way out of the prison with the help of a fellow inmate, but the process was continually plagued by mishaps and misfortune.
Mules is based on a true story about three American surfers that were in search of an adventure which included the pursuit of waves, women and weed, but after their boat sinks in the bay of Mazatlan they decide to become "Mules" for a drug dealer as a way to get back home. After yet another shipwreck and a ton of dope floating onto the shoreline, they are prosecuted and thrown into a Mexican prison where they literally dig their way out to freedom. Their story highlights the ability of the human spirit to persevere despite truly dire circumstances.  |
