Welcome back to another edition of Author’s Corner. I hope you all are having a good holiday season thus far. I’m trying to finish several projects both literary and domestic (around the house) before the end of the year. It seems like the list never ends.

There’s been one major breakthrough fro me over the last month. I just signed an agreement with du Jour Entertainment (www.dujourfilms.com) for the Fractured Time screenplay. At this point, it’s an agreement that allows them to build a budget, set up financing and capital, and select a cast for the story. Once this is completed, we’ll be able to finalize a deal. So, cross your fingers, we may be on the verge of the Fractured Time movie. We discussed the TV series as well and they’ll determine the best way to approach it, either as one package or as a separate entity.

I have decided to do a thirteen episode series for Dark Horizon. After giving a lot of thought to The Eye of Icarus and its beginning, I can do the DH series and lay out some background for the new series.

The Space Frontiers series is on hold as I’ve completed the first three books – The Eye of Icarus, Dangerous Liaisons, and The Devil’s Playground. I have an outline for the fourth but, until my agent comes through, I’m focusing on the other projects.

I’m still marketing the screenplay for the Eye of Icarus and I have a part two to the story in Leviathan waiting in the wings.

Also, on the market is The Christmas Solution. There are several interested parties but no commitments so far.

The Queen of Spades, my new suspense/thriller, is on the market but I’m primarily hunting for an agent at this time to handle it.

I’m putting my thoughts together and outlining a new sci-fi/horror story to enter as a screenplay in Shriekfest next year. Shriekfest (www.shriekfest.com) is a big film festival in Los Angeles every October that focuses on horror/science fiction/fantasy films and screenplays. My deadline is May15th for submitting it and with the conventions coming up in March and April, it’s going to be a challenge.

This month’s writers’ tip is about querying services. I’ve tried a few and they do seem to get responses. Be forewarned, make sure you have a good logline and synopsis (about 450 words) prepared before engaging in this. Equerydirect at www.equerydirect.com is very helpful, even for gathering information and viewing sample queries in different genres. Another site is Virtual Pitchfest at www.virtualpitchfest.com. This site lists all the producers, managers and agents who can be contacted through them. Their response is usually less than three days. That beats waiting months for an answer.

These sites are oriented toward screenplays. Some of the agencies are a literary service and do handle books as well. You’ll have to do a little homework on this part. I’ve also subscribed to a newsletter at www.inktip.com which provides leads from movie companies for specific material. I also advertise my screenplays on this site as well. I’ve found them to be pretty effective. Like anything else, I recommend researching these sites before you enroll because everyone has different needs. Make sure you find the service that works for you and your particular needs.

Have a happy and merry holiday season. Please come back in January for another edition of Author’s Corner.

- Michael D'Ambrosio

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